Primitivo Collantes
Primitivo Collantes
Primitivo, known around town as Primi, is the 4th Generation of his family to be making wine in Chiclana de la Frontera. The bodega was founded in the 19th century when brothers Primitivo and Tómas Collantes moved to Chiclana de la Frontera from the Iguña Valley in Santander. A few years after arriving, they acquired a small cellar in town which still houses the company headquarters today. They grew the company over the years and acquired prime holdings in vineyards in the Chiclana area. Today they have 39HA of vines, all farmed organicially.
Production of typical sherry wines has long been the driving force here and the Finos and Amontillado are some of the most exciting we have tasted. The Ceballos Fino is aged 3 years under flor and is perfectly simple and refreshing; it’s the kind of Fino that could occupy an entire afternoon. The Arroyuelo Fino en Rama demands more attention. It is aged 5 years under flor and then the best casks are chosen and bottled with no filtration or clarification. It is beautifully complex and long. The Amontillado Fossi sees 5 years as a fino before an average of 8 years oxidative aging. They call this an Amontillado Fino - and the name is apt - this is an exceptionally fresh and lively version of Amontillado.
While we were very taken with the lineup of Sherry at this Bodega, it was the the fresh, un-fortified white wines that dominated our conversation after our tasting. The Matalían, from a vineyard of the same name, is fresh, complex and just textured enough. It evokes the white Albariza soil, the Palomino Fino grape, the sun and the sea - and it does so through fruit and terroir as opposed to through process, which is something in Jerez. The Socaire is another Palomino Fino wine but this one is aged for 2 years in old Fino barrels. The wine does not have flor and is not oxidized at all, but there is an echo of Fino sherry that is somewhat mind bending in a wine that is so fresh. It is a wine that is somewhat confounding but so satisfying.
Primitivo Collantes Ceballos Fino
This is a perfect entry level Fino. It hits all the marks but does so in a manner that welcomes the unitiated into the fold. There is still the sweetness of fresh fruit intermingling with the flor indluence. It is just salty enough and the finish is long and gentle.
+Technical Details
VARIETIES: Palomino Fino
VINEYARDS: All fruit is from vineyards owned by the Bodega. This is from the Pozo Galván vineyard.
FARMING: Organic
WINEMAKING: Native yeast fermentation in stainless steel. Fortified to 15% ABV and aged for 3 years under veil of flor in the tradtional system of criaderas and soleras.
Primitivo Collantes Arroyuelo Fino en Rama
The Arroyuelo Fino en Rama is the perfect foil to the Ceballos Fino. Where the Ceballos is easy going and chill, the Arroyuelo is full throttle and wild - for a Fino. It spends 5 years in solera, is drawn to order from the best barrels, and bottled with no treatments at all. It is dense, complex, very salty and very long on the finish. There is almost an oloroso-like echo on the finish - that walnut skin tannin thing. It is basically a reserve level fino and it drinks every bit like one.
+Technical Details
VARIETIES: Palomino Fino
VINEYARDS: All fruit is from estate owned and farmed vineyards. This is from the Matalián Vineyard.
FARMING: Organic
WINEMAKING: Native yeast fermentation in stainless steel. Fortified to 15% ABV. Aged 5 years in the traditional system of criaderas and soleras. Cask selection, bottled on request with no fining, filtering or treatments of any kind.
Primitivo Collantes Fossi Amontillado
The Amontillado Fossi bottling is actually called an Amontillado Fino by the folks at Primitivo Collantes, and the name is very fitting. This is one of the most elegant Amontillados we have tasted. The fino bones of this gem are very apparent. Too many Amontillados end up being dominated by the oxidative aging - but this one balances the two phases of its life perfectly. The color is not so different than the Arroyeulo Fino, but the nose and pallet show the obvious nuttiness and complexity of oxidative aging combined with the salty freshness of fino. Such a beautiful wine.
It spends 5 years under flor at 15% ABV and then another 8 years aging oxidatively at 17.5%.
+Technical Details
VARIETIES: Palomino Fino
VINEYARDS: All fruit is from estate owned and farmed vinyeards. This is from the Matalián vineyard.
FARMING: Organic.
WINEMAKING: Native yeast fermentation in stainless steel. Fortified to 15% ABV and aged 5 years under flor. Then fortified again to 17.5% and aged another 8 years oxidatively, without flor.
Primitivo Collantes Viña Matalián VDT Cadiz
We have been known to profess that sherry is a favorite wine. A desert island wine even. And yet, we can’t help but feel like we are tasting the future here. Not in place of Sherry, but along side of it - breathing new life into the formidable culture of this area. The white albariza soils of this region have long been heralded as something special. But they have just as often been ignored in favor of focusing on the process. Wines like this - fresh, bright, clean, transparent - help us all to understand the terroir of this region a little better and also to understand the grape Palomino Fino a little better. Its a delicious wine all on it’s own - but if you love sherry, it’s a revelation.
+Technical Details
VARIETIES: Palomino Fino
VINEYARDS: All fruit is from estate owned and farmed vineyards. This is from the Matalián vineyard.
FARMING: Organic
WINEMAKING: Native yeast fermented in stainless steel. Aged in steel before bottling.
Primitivo Collantes Socaire VDT Cadiz
If the Matalián is the future - we don’t know where this wine puts us. This is wild stuff and we can’t stop drinking it. There is so much going on here. Freshness and bright acidity, noble reduction, echoes of oxidation and flor, and a long, crisp, clean finish. It’s utterly delicious, so it doesn’t come off as weird of strange exactly, but it’s quite a ride and certainly unique.
Its aged 2 years in topped up Fino sherry barrels. Such a simple thing that produces such cool results.
+Technical Details
VARIETIES: Palomino Fino.
VINEYARDS: All fruit is from estate owned and farmed vineyards. This is from the Matalián vineyard.
FARMING: Organic
WINEMAKING: Native yeast fermented and aged in stainless steel. Then aged for 2 years in topped up Fino barrels. No flor.