Manuel Aragón "Tio Alejandro" Oloroso Jerez
Manuel Aragón "Tio Alejandro" Oloroso Jerez
750ml bottle
18% abv
Village: Chiclana de la Frontera
Vineyard: Pago Marquesado planted in 1990
Soils: Chalky albariza barajuela
Grapes: Palomino Fino
Vinification: Estate-grown grapes are hand-picked in small baskets with great care to avoid oxidation, directly pressed, and then spontaneously fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel at a low temperature.
Fortification: Neutral grape spirit
Aging: 17-20 years oxidative aging in solera
S02: 45mg/L
Filtration / Cold-Stabilization: Cold Stabilized, light fining with bentonite
Farming: Practicing Organic
Vegan: No
Profile: Dry, aromatic, full-bodied, savory
Serve: Cool room temperature, between 62-65oF in a wine glass
Bodega Manuel Aragón is a historic bodega and family winery founded in 1795,
firmly rooted in the traditional, working-class Sherry culture of Chiclana de la
Frontera. Chiclana is an ancient, whitewashed village located in the Bay of Cádiz,
12 miles southeast of the city of Cádiz. Chiclana’s vineyards are the southernmost in
the Marco de Jerez. Chano Aragón, the current winery head and oenologist is a direct
descendant of its founder, Pedro Aragón Morales. The story of Manuel Aragón is that of a fierce defender of the historical culture of the region and its quality, handcrafted wines.
The bodega lies just 800m from the ocean, separated only by pine trees. It also
benefits from the Levante wind, a warm current that flows west through the Strait
of Gibraltar. Palomino vineyards are planted in chalky albariza barajuela soils in the
same direction as the Levante wind.
The secret to quality that sets Manuel Aragón apart from most of the wineries
in the Sherry region begins with the unique fact that they own 9ha of their own
vineyards, which viticulturist Juan Manuel Tocino farms organically. Utilizing a
traditional method to fertilize their vineyards, they recycle the pomace produced
from winemaking back into the soil after the grapes have been pressed. Manuel
Aragón has vineyards located in the Pagos Campano, Cañadillas, and Marquesado.
Oloroso Tio Alejandro is produced from estate-grown, organic palomino grapes
grown in Pago Marquesado in chalky albariza barajuela soils. It is an exceptionally
complex and powerful Oloroso with a long finish. “Tio Alejandro” was not part of the
Aragón family, but he was an important, long-time friend, customer, and neighbor of
the winery, and this Oloroso was dedicated to him, as it was his favorite wine.
Vinification - During harvest, grapes are hand-picked in small baskets, directly
pressed, and then fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in stainless steel at
low temperature. After fortification to 17% ABV with neutral grape spirits, Oloroso Tio Alejandro spends 17 to 20 years aging oxidatively in barrels that are not topped up. The slow loss of water through the walls of the wooden casks facilitates the continuous process of concentration, which makes the wine gain in structure, smoothness, and
complexity while bringing the final wine to 18% ABV. Manuel Aragón runs the scales in the traditional way, moving the wine through the solera manually, without mechanical pumps, utilizing gravity and the traditional tools of the canoa, jarra, sifón, and rocíador. It is cold-stabilized and very lightly fined with bentonite before bottling.