Macharnudo
By Sarah Jane Evans MW, Decanter Spain expert and DWWA Co-Chair
No question about it, Macharnudo is the great historical vineyard of Spain. It’s a word of Arabic origin, meaning ‘house on a naked hill’, so-called because the purity of the chalky soils meant it was only good for vines and olives. (Vine-growing for wine here dates back at least to the 13th century). Jerez is famed for this gleaming white albariza soil. It reaches its summit, in both senses of the word, in the legendary hill of Cerro del Obispo (136m) in Macharnudo.
The contemporary historians of the Marco de Jerez region and its traditions are winemakers Willy Pérez (from Jerez) and Ramiro Ibáñez (Sanlúcar de Barrameda). Pérez describes how, like a spider, eight ‘arms’ slope down from the Bishop’s Hill, each with one or more grand cru parcels. In the 19th century, Pedro Domecq named the central and northern sections as Macharnudo Alto (the southerly, Macharnudo Bajo). Pérez says: ‘The northeastern slopes [Alto] – which are cooler, fresher, with a little more clay – give fuller-bodied, more oxidative styles; wines from the more chalky, stressed, southern slopes [Bajo] have the electricity of Amontillado.’
At the heart of Macharnudo Alto are the Castillo de Macharnudo Finca el Majuelo vineyards (the medieval tower still remains). ‘Majuelo was one of the great vineyards of the
Old World. Other vineyards in Spain may have become known in the 20th century, but for 300 years Majuelo has been the best in Spain.’
Today you will find outstanding wines from producers across Macharnudo, including Bodegas Luis Pérez, Callejuela, Equipo Navazos and Valdespino. Newest entrant Peter Sisseck has purchased 2ha to create a single-vineyard amontillado. Here’s to the next 300 years.
Try:
Bodegas de la Riva, Vino de Pasto Macharnudo 2018 [Finca El Majuelo vineyard]
£50 (2019) Fortnum & Mason, Thorne Wines
Valdespino, Inocente Fino [Botaina vineyard]
£16-£21.99 Brigitte Bordeaux, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Carruthers & Kent, Hic, Lea & Sandeman, NY Wines, Quercus Wines, Slurp, The Oxford Wine Co, The Whisky Exchange,
The Wine Reserve, Vino Gusto
Harveys Very Old Amontillado VORS [Finca El Majuelo vineyard]
£48.98-£50.45/50cl Harvey Nichols, Master of Malt, The Drink Shop, The Whisky Exchange
Location Jerez, NW of the city
Owners Valdespino (Grupo Estévez), Harveys (Fundador), González Byass, plus others
Size 800ha
Altitude 9m-136m
Aspect Various Primary soils Albariza: predominantly calcium carbonate, with clay and other elements
Dominant grape variety Palomino Fino