Caserío de Miraflores Alta (Cota 45)

A new series from Cota 45, focusing on historic vineyards in Miraflores Alta

About 7 years ago Ramiro Ibáñez from Bodegas Cota 45 had the idea to produce a series of wines from vineyards with an important historic value. In 2023 this series called Miraflores Alta finally saw the light. The aim was to showcase the beautiful sapidity which the Marco de Jerez can expose. Sapidity may be a little contested by some wine experts, but it’s generally defined as a refreshing combination of salinity and mineral notes.

Today we’re focusing on the Caserío de Miraflores Alta. The name refers to a vineyard building in Miraflores which is now in ruins. However the surrounding vines are still maintained. They used to belong to Rodríguez Lacave and were at the heart of their Manzanilla Barbiana. A few years ago, Ramiro dug up a case of ancient magnum bottles of this legendary Manzanilla. After opening he claimed it was the best Manzanilla he ever tasted.

So here we go, this legendary vineyard now results in a new wine. It has been fermented in old Manzanilla butts, with 9 months of ageing under a thin layer of flor.

Caserío de Miraflores Alta 2022 (Cota 45)

Nose: a very vibrant mix of crisp (green) apples, coastal breeze and lemons. Fresher than most of the other Vino de Pasto I’ve had. Clean and bright, with very light hints of wildflowers, a whiff of flor yeast (but not much) and crushed seashells. Aromas of fresh clams and oyster shells grow stronger over time. High class.

Mouth: very fresh again, with a nice acidity. Juicy lemons, green apples and a dry mineral note which adds some body. The chalkiness becomes bigger in the mouth, with a nice saline touch. Some chamomile and a light spicy touch. This offers easy drinking pleasures but it’s certainly not a simple, one-dimensional wine.

Availability: on its own or as an entire set of three wines (together with Miraflores del Pino and Miraflores de San Rafael). The set costs around € 95, check Bodeboca for instance.

Summary: Sapidity indeed! This is beautifully fresh and juicy, with a pleasant acidity and plenty of coastal notes. A great advocate for the region and a perfect food wine. Although others may be a little more complex, this is one of my favourite wines from Ramiro so far.

4.5

Excellent

Tags: 12%, Cota 45, Miraflores, Ramiro Ibañez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Vino de Pasto

About the Author

Ruben is a Certified Sherry Educator who fell in love with sherry some 25 years ago, but switched to a higher gear in 2013 and started writing about it. Lived in Madrid for a couple of years, now back in Belgium. I also run a whisky blog over at www.whiskynotes.be