Bodegas Barbadillo, Sábalo Organic, Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz, Spain, 2021

Producer Profile

Barbadillo in Singular is a small part of Bodegas Barbadillo, the renowned producer whose name is inseparable from its home in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

For 200 years the winery has stood at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, where its biological process came into being with the first Manzanilla it produced in its cellars. Never ones to rest on their laurels, the Barbadillo family continues to experiment, and push this traditional region into modernity with ever-daring projects, small-scale thinking and focusing on the detail … and in this instance, the detail is ‘Singular’, a white wine from a specific location, showing two expressions whilst never losing the spirit of Barbadillo. Barbadillo is also collaborating with organisations including the Natural Parks of the Junta de Andalucía, University of Cadiz, and Trafalgar Environmental Volunteers Association to preserve the nesting sites of the Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro) on the beaches of Cadiz.

Viticulture

100% organic Palomino Fina grapes exclusively from two white clay albariza vineyards. The first is close to the sea in Sanlúcar, with vines that are more than 35 years old, and which has been organic for the last 17 years. The other vineyard is further inland, located on a hilltop overlooking the marshes between Sanlúcar and Trebujena. This vineyard is more than 25 years old and has been certified organic for more than 12 years. This combination of vineyards unite the maritime influence with that of the Guadalquivir River and the marshes, leaving a unique mark on its DNA. Grapes are harvested by hand.

Winemaking

Slow fermentation in stainless steel deposits at a controlled temperature of up to 17º C. The fermentation is spontaneous using only the native yeasts, followed by ageing on the lees for four months.

Oak Ageing

No oak ageing

Tasting Note

Sábalo is a refined and elegant organic wine, combining the essence of lime-rich chalky soils with a creaminess from slow fermentation. On the nose there are complex notes of ripe apple, peach and dried herbs, whilst the palate is full and textured with ripe fruit and soft saline notes.

Food Matching

Perfect with grilled fish, soup and vegetables, but also great with Sushi or spiced dishes.

Awards

Robert Parkers The Wine Advocate 90 Points
There are some new white wines, like the 2021 Sábalo, a white organic wine they created to celebrate their 200th anniversary. It comes from four organic vineyards in Balbaína, Añina, Macharnudo and Burujena matured with lees for four months. It's clean and young, with a connection with the sea through a salty twist and a faint marine sea breeze. Here they look for the expression of the albariza and the grape, fermenting in stainless steel and matured without flor. It has 13% alcohol and good freshness with a pH of 3.3, with clean varietal notes and a slight bitter twist in the finish. 24,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2022. 90 Points, LG, September 2022.
Jancis Robinson 16.5 Points
Palomino from two certified-organic vineyards: Balbaína and Burujena. Ambient-yeast fermented in stainless steel. Young wine. No lees ageing. Very floral nose. Lots of fruit on mid palate! Juicy. Then tense. 16.5 Points, JR, November 2023.