'William's Colleción' Finolis Vino en Rama 2016

Finolis is castellano for ‘fancy’. And this is an intellectual fancy of sorts. It’s a single vineyard Palomino wine from a parcela called Viña Dos Mercedes within Pago Carrascal, just north of Jerez. Technically, legally, it’s not – quite – a Fino, having been matured and bottled at 14.5% abv not the required 15%. Instead, it’s called sobremaduro, or over-matured, which refers to the fruit having had a brief period soleo before fermentation, with sun-drying raising the wine’s strength a degree.

In every respect, Finolis parallels Willy Perez’s remarkable statically-aged natural alcohol Fino Caberrubia (from the same Pago), except that it’s a half degree of booze short of the regulations. Only 50% free run juice yield from pressing was used, fermenting naturally to 15%. The wine was then aged in old 600L Fino casks with 20% ullage to allow plenty of Flor. Later, at nearly 5 years of age, the wine was bottled en rama (unfiltered), however the DO refused to ratify it as a Fino as the alcoholic degree had diminished, and it’s in the market as table wine of Cadiz, not Fino1. Ssssh, Finolis is a very fine and vinous Fino, nevertheless.