Hidalgo La Panesa Especial Fino

La Panesa Especial Fino bottle image

Wine Description

This Fino sherry is “especial” because it comes from a special part of the bodega sourced from a very small selection of barrels within the solera. Like all the selections in the Hidalgo cellars, the Panesa Especial was identified as having unique properties by Manuel Nieves, cellar master, and his predecessors over 50 years ago. Made from 100% Palomino, the wine ages under flor for an average of 15 years, several years longer than the vast majority of finos. The flor is kept alive so long with infusions of young Sherry and added nutrients, but as it thins towards the end of its life, a light oxidation takes place. This extra aging shows in La Panesa's brilliant gold color and exceptional depth of flavor.

Emilio Hidalgo Winemaker
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Acclaim
“An exceptionally old fino, perhaps the oldest on the market, at about 15 years, from a gentle, gracious family, who take care to keep the flor going this long. It is indeed a fino, it's a fine wine. The complexity of aromas is magical – polished, with nuts, toast, brine. A fino to treasure. The whole range of Emilio Hidalgo Sherries is worth exploring.” — Decanter, Feb 2024
“Boy, did I enjoy this wine. It is very unique although I am told this style of wine used to be more prevalent. It is an aged Fino style Sherry that was aged for 15 years from a Solera started in 1961. Just gorgeous but it is different. It is a deep golden color with just a hint of amber. Clear and bright. The nose is big with a lot of alcohol and some volatile acidity (the later blows off slightly with air). Also an almond/nuttiness and salinity to the nose. Full bodied. Complex, contemplative and deep. Bone dry on the palate. The nutty salinity come thru along with a petrol note but in a very good way. Some warmth on the finish. This is interesting to drink on its own, but really kicks into gear with some salty foods. Every sip gets better. Consumed over three nights, it was good on all nights but best on night two. I am not sure how often this bottling is released so better to stick to retailers who know their sherries if you are planning on ageing it.” 
— Into Wine, Dec 2020
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Jerez de la Frontera
Soil composition
Chalk and sand
Training method
Guyot/Gobelet
Elevation:
185 feet
Vines/acre:
1,200
Yield/acre:
1.8 tons
Exposure:
Varied
Year vineyard planted:
1974; 2003
Harvest time:
September
First vintage of this wine:
Solera started in 1961
Bottles produced of this wine:
10,000
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Palomino
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Size of aging container:
500 L
Type of oak:
American oak
Length of aging before bottling:
Until ordered
Age of Aging Container:
More than 50 years
Length of bottle aging:
Pure Barrel Aging
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.1
Acidity:
4.5 g/L
Alcohol:
15 %
Dry extract:
20.3 g/L
Residual sugar:
1.5 g/L