Sanchez Romate Cardenal Mendoza Classico 15yo Spanish Brandy 70 cl

Product Information

Armagnac comes from Gascony, southwest France, and has been produced since the XIV century. Being situated inland, this fine brandy has never achieved the heights of its coastal competitor Cognac but is a worthy competitor. The main grape varieties are Ugni Blanc and Baco 22A and the wine is distilled only once, in a simple form of column still, the spirit being aged statically in 400 litre French oak barrels seasoned with young spirit. AOC 1936.

Die Geschichte des Edel-Brandys liest sich wie im Märchenbuch. Und das sei der ambitionierten Familie de la Torre auch gegönnt. Im Jahre 1781 gründete Juan Sánchez de la Torre in der ohnehin schon fruchtbaren und für seine Trauben bekannten Region von Jerez de la Frontera das Weingut Sánchez Romate Hermanos. Schnell etablierte sich das Familienunternehmen im Markt und überzeugte mit sehr guten Weinen. Die Anbauflächen wuchsen und die Weinherstellung lief auf Hochtouren. Es war die vierte Generation, die sich schlussendlich auf die Fahnen schrieb, einen hervorragenden Brandy zu kreieren. Liegt es ja eigentlich auch nahe, wo schon einmal ein exzellenter Grundstoff dafür hergestellt wurde. 1887 wurde der Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva geboren. Hergestellt nach dem Solera Verfahren werden, kurz gesagt, im Laufe des Reifeprozess des Brandys kontinuierlich verschiedene Jahrgänge miteinander vermählt. Bei Sánchez Romate Hermanos setzt man im Übrigen auf amerikanische Weißeiche, in denen bereits ein guter Sherry seinen Reifezyklus vollenden durfte. Diese alte Form der Lagerung und Vermählung beim Solera Verfahren ist schon ein wenig spektakulär, macht den Brandy aber auch so vielschichtig und schlussendlich kontinuierlich gut. Aus gutem Grund hält man seit mehr als einem Jahrhundert in der Bodéga Romate Hermanos an dieser Art des Finishs fest. Bright, transparent, of dark mahogany colours. Round, clean, elegant, with winey aromas. Long, warm and balanced in the mouth, with no harsh edges. With personality, a harmony of subtle flavours and an intense finish of raisins and plums. This unique Spanish brandy is aged, like a sherry, in a solera made from casks that previously held fine Pedro Ximinez and Oloroso sherries, imparting an incredible richness & complexity to the spirit. Aromas of raisins and plums dominate the nose, along with notes of espresso coffee and a touch of liquorice. Sweet and fat on the palate, with lots of dried fruit and more raisins and a distinctive, unique taste with a very cultured PX influence and just enough bittersweet coffee and caramel to balance well. The finish is well-balanced, long and nutty. ABOUT THE PRODUCER En 1887, la familia Sánchez Romate empieza a elaborar un brandy para consumo privado. Su calidad impulsa pronto una fama creciente y la bodega decide comercializarlo con el nombre de Cardenal Mendoza. El primer Cardenal Mendoza a quien nuestro brandy hace referencia, fue D. Pedro González de Mendoza (1423-1495), personaje histórico central en la España del siglo XV. Como consejero de los Reyes Católicos, contaba con la total confianza de la Reina Isabel, interviniendo decisivamente en el apoyo al primer viaje de Cristóbal Colon y jugando un papel decisivo en la unificación de España.Although it is constantly reinventing itself and adapting to new technology, this winery still uses traditional production methods. In 1909 it was named supplier of the House of Lords in Great Britain, and in 1917 it was named official supplier of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican.

Bodegas Romate follows a very careful winemaking process starting from Palomino, Airén and Pedro Ximénez grapes with white albariza soil and the Western Andalucian weather acting as a foundation for this wine. The ageing takes place in American oak barrels and the distillation in copper alquitars using the solera and criadera ageing system. Sanchez Romate was founded by Juan Sánchez de la Torre in 1781 and is one of the last family-owned Sherry houses. Over two hundred years later Sanchez Romate is one of the oldest bodegas in Spain and one of the remaining wineries in the Jerez Designation of Origin that remains under independent family ownership. A brandy was first produced in 1887 and it is the fabulous Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva which has become the family’s flagship brand, although their Sherries follow closely behind! Regulated under the strict auspices of the Consejo Regulador – the Brandy de Jerez regulatory body – and the even stricter controls of the bodegas of Sanchez Romate itself, the Cardenal Mendoza brand surpasses these regulations with ease, making it one of the greatest and most sought after brandies from Jerez.

Brandy de Jerez has been around since the XVI century and almost certainly longer. It was also popular with the Dutch, and to this day the best spirits are called “holandas”. Unlike the French brandies, it is distilled from wine made from the Airén grape in both pot stills (alquitaras) and column stills depending on the quality required. The cardenal Mendoza Brandy is a brandy of surpassing beauty and subtlety, and while I have no doubt it is good value for money, I can not help but say that it costs a lot to be so good, this brandy is just shy of the 50% mark (though it is not the most expensive in my current line up). The name of the brand is less than subtle, and I wonder if the distillers are hoping that once you have tasted the brand, you will be “satisfied” with it and not want to spend such money again. In 1887 the owners of ‘Sánchez Romate Hermanos’ began to make a unique, different Brandy for their own consumption. The quality soon earned increasing fame and the winery decided to market it with the name of ‘Cardenal Mendoza’. Any place where wine is produced will produce its own brandy, and many are very good, but there are only three in the world which have legal protection of their name: Cognac, Armagnac and Brandy de Jerez. All three are excellent but they are very different.