Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva Brandy De Jerez

A classic old sherry and brandy producer, Sánchez Romate was founded by Juan Sánchez de la Torre in 1781. Today it is one of the few remaining wineries in the Jerez Designation of Origin which is still in the hands of local owners. The flagship brand, Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva, was made in 1887 by the fourth generation of the family in order to create an exclusive brandy for the family and their closest circle of friends. In 1909, Sánchez Romate was appointed as an Official Purveyor to the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, then in 1917, it was appointed as an Official Purveyor to the Sacred Apostolic Palace of the Vatican. The process of creating Sánchez Romate sherry begins with Palomino, Moscatel, and Pedro Ximenez grape varieties growing in white albariza soil and benefitting from western Andalusias unique microclimate. All stages of the production process are kept traditional, from distilling in copper stills, aging in American oak casks, and utilising the Criaderas y Soleras system.

Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva is our classic Sherry Brandy, matured for an average of 15 years in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. Discover the most highly appreciated Brandy de Jerez internationally, since 1887.

The nose it is clean, elegant and well-rounded with hints of the Sherry which seasoned the barrels. On the palate it is beautifully balanced, warming and smooth while it has a very long finish where all the subtle nuances come together leaving a lasting impression of personality with hints of raisin and prune.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight on the Spirits of Spain Blog

Brandy de Jerez is one of the overlooked gems of the spirits world, in this category you can find some absolute bargains when you compare the brandies to those of France. The great brandies of Cognac are made with the grapes; Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche, some of you may have heard of them? The brandies down this end of the Iberian Peninsula are made with what was, until very recently, the most planted grape variety in the world; Airen. Have you ever heard of it? Airen, Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche all have a few things in common, they can all produce large volumes of neutral flavoured wine. Most of this wine sits somewhere between dull and undrinkable as a table wine itself but is fantastic for distillation where you don't necessarily want a flavourful wine whose fresh fruit would diminish during long aging.

Airen is perfectly suited to the searing heat of Andalucia. The grape requires a very low nutrient content in the soil to produce high yields at harvest. This combined with a good resistance to both drought and diseases allows vignerons to farm the variety with little intervention and involvement.

Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva is made in the city of Jerez by a classic old sherry and brandy producer, Sanchez Romate. Founded by Juan Sánchez de la Torre in 1781, it is one of the few remaining wineries in the Jerez DO which is still in the hands of local owners. Traditional production with distillation in copper stills and aging in American oak ex-sherry casks utilising the Criaderas y Soleras system, (periodically topping up casks with slightly younger brandy from the previous row, the bottom row will contain a consistent blend of brandies of different ages).

The final product is a brandy averaging 15 years old with it's full maturation being in Sanchez Romate's own ex-oloroso and ex-pedro ximinez sherry casks. Warming and decadent with notes of prune, date, raisin, coffee and chocolate. Perfect for watching the sun slip below the horizon.