Bodegas Del Rio - Manzanilla Solera Playa (blue edition)

A beautiful young Manzanilla that is serious for its age. It spends a very brief 2-2,5 years in Solera. The golden color is not due to age but due to late harvest: Most Manzanilla producers pick at 9% ish, this bodega harvests at 12%.

**Nose:** Strong Smokey Albariza notes. Roast almonds, fennel seeds, fresh bread. Still some primary fruit in the form of green apple and pear (late harvest isn’t really apparent here). Edit: some yellow plum does show up during later glasses.

**Palate:** Very sharp. At this stage in a Manzanilla’s life the *Flor* has eaten away most of the glycerol, while the autolytic roundness has not yet appeared. Strong Flor notes, green olive, iron, chalk, seaweed. Not much dough or nuttiness. Very sapid and long.

A great effort by this aptly named Bodega, as it is seated on the riverbank of the Guadalquivir. A steal at €13.