Bodegas Valdespino 2016 'La Especial' Manzanilla Sherry, Pago de Miraflores, Sanlucar de Barrameda DO
Item Number: 21156
UPC: 8-412449105314
Country: Spain
Region: Andalucia
Sub Region: Cadiz
Appellation/AVA: Sanlucar de Barrameda DO
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vineyard Designation: Pago Miraflores
Vintage: 2016
Grape(s): 100% Palomino Fino
Type: Wine - Sherry, Madeira & Port
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 6
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 15.5
Soil Type: Albariza (white chalk)
Vintage-dated Sherries and Manzanillas—also known as static aging wines —are exceptionally rare within the DO. Produced in very small quantities and recognized for their outstanding quality, they are considered one-of-a-kind bottlings and are highly valued as singular expressions of time and place.
Following the inaugural 2015 vintage (released in 2022), Valdespino continued the collection with the 2016 vintage of Manzanilla La Especial. Like its predecessor, this wine comes exclusively from Pago de Miraflores, the “Grand Cru” of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
For the 2016 vintage, only 30 casks were sealed, fully complying with the requirements established by the Sherry and Manzanilla de Sanlúcar Regulatory Council for the classification of vintage wines. From the outset, Valdespino identified a handful of casks that showed remarkable finesse and elegance during their initial phase of biological aging, when the flor was in full development.
The first formal tasting of the 2016 vintage Manzanilla took place in October 2023 at Valdespino. A committee composed of technicians, sales professionals, and marketing experts selected 12 casks from the original 30. The chosen casks (Nos. 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 17, 19, 20, 24, and 27) shared a refined, intense, and elegant character, along with the delicacy and structural integrity necessary for complex bottle evolution.
These selected casks were blended and bottled in April 2024, yielding a final production of 6,060 bottles. The wine is presented en rama —bottled directly from cask with minimal filtration to preserve its organoleptic characteristics intact.
The design of Manzanilla La Especial draws inspiration from the original bottle commercialized by Valdespino in the first two decades of the 20th century: a Rhine-style bottle sealed with a driven cork, intended for a Manzanilla meant to be enjoyed as a sophisticated food pairing wine. The name La Especial (The Special One) speaks to the wine’s uniqueness and differentiating qualities.