FERNANDO ANGULO
La Charanga Flor 2022 [375ml]
Andalusia, Spain
Palomino from old vines in Fernando’s favourite parcel, pressed directly to a single fifty year old bota for a year of rest. Pale gold in the glass, this shimmers with delicate notes of almond, sea salt and brine. The flavours wash over the palate with ease, making for sherry of uncommon purity that is unlike anything we have tried.
Palomino
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
From a tiny bodega in the windswept town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Fernando produces thoughtful, original wines that redefine the sherry triangle.
Originally from Ronda, Fernando developed a love of wine in his youth and, long fascinated by the history of sherry and its importance to Andalucía, he moved to Sanlúcar in 2012 to see what might be possible if he were able to harness the potential of a marriage of grape and place lauded for centuries.
In the hills outside of town, old vines of Palomino are planted on gentle slopes over the region’s albariza soils. Made up largely of chalk, they retain water long after the rains have gone, allowing the vines to survive the long, hot summer, and imparting the resulting wines with invigorating minerals. Under the heat of the Andalusian sun, not so far from where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, this bleached landscape provides a dramatic setting for the growing of grapes.
Having spent the past decade exploring the region’s pagos, Fernando settled on a hectare of old vines in ‘La Charanga’, a parcel within Pago Mahina, which he believes to be the best in the region. The warm, arid climate and stiff Levante winds allow him to work without any treatments at all, leaving nature to thrive.
In the bodega, he is self-taught, following his intuition to produce what are truly genre-defying wines. He ages his sparkling wines sur lattes, and sherries in large old botas, disgorging or filling bottles from casks in small lots when he feels the wine is ready.
Made in tiny quantities, with no additions, these are wines of striking purity that show the region in a different guise.