Wine of the Week — Spanish Wine Collective

Tintilla Nude 2020 - Bodegas Barbadillo (Sanlúcar de Barrameda)

Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz

Varieties – 100% Tintilla de Rota

ABV - 14%

This wine was a surprise inclusion in the latest six-bottle box I received from Club Contubernio, a club for sherry wine lovers that delivers a selection of wines three times a year. I have been a subscriber for a few years now and it’s provided opportunities to taste different wines from the Marco de Jerez including rare editions and special sacas for members. Each shipment usually contains an unfortified blanco (Palomino or Pedro Ximénez), along with a changing selection of fino, manzanilla, amontillado, oloroso and palo cortado. Sometimes there are V.O.R.S. sherries: wines of exceptional quality with more than 30 years of ageing. Wines from D.O.P. Montilla-Moriles also make a regular appearance.

The Tintilla Nude 2020 is not officially a sherry wine as it’s not made from the grapes permitted in the D.O. Jerez-Xéres-Sherry: Palomino, Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez. Barbadillo are, of course, one of the oldest sherry bodegas in Spain and an iconic producer in Sanlúcar.

The Tintilla de Rota grape, native to the Cádiz region, is undergoing a revival after almost becoming extinct. Historically it was used to produce sweet, fortified red wines, a tradition still maintained by bodegas such as Lustau and Callejuela. Many of these traditional vinos dulces were made in Rota, a Cádiz town famous for the huge US naval base. The expansion of the base over several decades has been a factor in the disappearance of many vineyards.

Recent research has identified that Tintilla is genetically identical to Graciano, a grape deployed in many Rioja wines. But which variety is the oldest? Perhaps it’s Tintilla as many of the surviving old vines in Cádiz are pre-phylloxera.

Barbadillo only started to work with Tintilla recently and the Nude went through several experimental phases until the winemakers were happy to bring it to market.

The grapes are harvested by hand from the Gilbalín pago, north of Jerez, and then fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine has deliberately not been subjected to any crianza in oak barrels, as the aim has been for minimal interference with the purity of the variety. The name ‘Nude’ therefore is self-explanatory.

The wine is bottled with a light filtration. 9000 bottles were produced of the 2020 añada.

Appearance: Dense colour. Deep ruby, with hints of violet on the rim.

Nose: Rich fruit aromatics of red cherry, cranberry and plum.

Palate: Mature fruit. Really fleshy and juicy. The tannins are smooth with just a subtle grip. Some gentle spice. The finish is quite persistent.

Barbadillo describe the Nude as a tinto insultantemente joven, an insultingly young wine. It delivers freshness and purity, but also has some depth. It’s an easy and delicious introduction to Tintilla de Rota.

Another Tintilla worth trying from VT Cádiz is the 2018 Vara Y Pulgar from the Compañía De Vinos Del Atlántico bodega situated between Jerez and Sanlúcar. With more minerality, as well as density and spiciness from its 20 months of crianza, it shows another side of the variety, but one still driven by the character of the fruit.