Country Spain
Region Andalucía
Sub-Region Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Soil varied sandy/limestone
Varieties Palomino, Moscatel
Alcohol 17.5%
Size 375ml

What IS Sherry? Sherry is a fortified wine meaning grapes are fermented down as a base wine and then a grape spirit is added in order to increase the alcohol content. Sherry is made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain (VERY Southern Spain - on the coast). Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versions similar to white table wines, such as Manzanilla and Fino, to darker and heavier versions that have been allowed to oxidize as they age in barrel, such as Amontillado and Oloroso. Sweet dessert wines are also made from Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel grapes, and are sometimes blended with Palomino-based Sherries.

Winemaking Cream sherries are sweet blends, usually of dry Oloroso base wine with Pedro Ximénez. César turns the concept around by using Moscatel instead of Pedro Ximénez to sweeten the blend. Another unique feature of his Cruz del Mar Cream Sherry is that he sources his Palomino and Moscatel grapes from family vineyards in prime areas. Most Cream Sherry is made by a bodega as an afterthought from inferior ingredients. César Florido puts the same care and ingredients into his Cream bottling as he does with the rest of his line, aging it an average of seven years in Solera.

About the Producer
César Florido was founded in 1887 and is currently maintained by César Florido, a fifth-generation descendant of the founder. The winery is the oldest bodega in the town of Chipiona, located five miles from Sanlúcar de Barrameda along the road which continues to Rota. César Florido is one of only two bodegas in Chipiona that are still operating outside of the cooperative.

Chipiona, famous for having the tallest lighthouse in Spain, is an area dedicated to growing the moscatel grape, but most of the wine produced here is sold in bulk to the Sherry houses of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. César Florido, by contrast, is one of the few bodegas that is estate bottling and who presses his own mosto, or base wine, from family vineyards planted to palomino fino, as well as purchased grapes from long-time growers. Utilizing native-yeast fermentation, César crafts wines of incredible personality.

A longtime almacenista, César began estate bottling in 1988 and recently has emerged from obscurity to cult status for his enthralling range of wines which are uniquely Chipiona and have become among the best in the zone.