Ximenez-Spinola Exceptional Harvest 2021

Profile:

Deep amber. Aromas of dried fruits, honey, and nuts. Luscious palate with figs and toffee, balanced acidity.

Food Pairing: Poultry & White Meat

How It Was Made:

This wine is made from over-ripening of the vine 21 days after the usual harvest, which means that the grapes that are left unpicked at the time of maximum water concentration evaporate, acquiring natural acidity and sweetness, without becoming extremely concentrated. The final yield of this wine is only 575 litres per tonne of grapes, although occasionally it could be higher if the weather favours early ripening, without losing too much water. It is fermented at a controlled temperature so that it can maintain residual sugar and is then aged on its own lees for 4 months in old American oak barrels, which we previously fill with our oxidatively aged wines. During its ageing in wood, it is produced using a controlled “gentle battonage” process in which the use of new barrels is avoided, so that the astringency and power of the oak, together with the intensity inherent to the process, do not cause the final result to lose elegance or balance. The annual volume of bottles obtained varies depending on the weather conditions that may develop between the second half of September and the first half of October. In any case, to date, no more than 25,000 bottles have ever been obtained per year, part of which remains on the property to revalue its good evolution. This is a white wine for aging with two major conservation factors that make it especially long-lasting: the high total acidity at the start and the residual sugar, which mitigates the rough edges of the ageing on lees.