Bodegas Tradición 'Pedro Ximénez' 20 Year Old NV

Bodegas Tradición was founded in 1998 by Joaquín Rivero Valcarce, scion of one of the region’s most historically prominent wine families. Bodega CZ, J.M. Rivero was established in the early 1650s, making it one of the oldest firms on record. It’s golden age was most certainly the 19th century – in 1855, it housed over 3,000 butts and commercialized a dozen or more world-renowned brands. The bodega’s fortunes waned with those of the region, and it was finally sold in 1991 to a Cordoba-based olive oil and vinegar concern, adding it to the long list of historic firms that shuttered in the latter part of the 20th century.

Despite the decline and eventual sale of the family bodega, Don Joaquín himself became immensely wealthy through his work in construction and real estate. It was with the backing of his personal fortune that Bodegas Tradición was born. “The name Tradición,” he said, by way of a mission statement, “corresponds to a dual requirement: continuance of the family wine business and a return to the traditional styles and processes in the making of Sherry wines.” There is a conspicuous absence of technology in the cellars – all the operations of the bodega are undertaken by hand using traditional tools.

In order to establish its soleras, Tradición bought carefully selected butts from other bodegas. The sources of their current collection are myriad, including, but not limited to, Domecq, Agustín Blazquez, Croft, Delgado Zuleta, Osborne, Paternina, Sandeman and Bobadilla. The component wines were then blended to achieve the desired style. The otherworldly Amontillado is composed of wines from Jerez, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a fact that undoubtedly contributes to its staggering complexity. The team that was assembled to establish and maintain the soleras and run the firm was of unsurprisingly élite pedigree. On the selection and blending side was José Ignacio Domecq Fernández de Bobadilla, former oenologist at Domecq and son of José Ignacio Domecq González, AKA “The Nose”, one of the most revered oenologists in the history of Jerez. José “Pepe” Blandino, a capataz with close to fifty years of experience at Domecq, was charged with buying old casks and making the arrangements to set up the soleras. Pepe is currently responsible with the day-to-day operations, assisted by his son. Lorenzo García-Iglesias Soto acts as Director General.

In addition to vinous treasures, the bodega is also home to one of the finest privately-held collections of Spanish painting in the world. The Joaquín Rivero collection is comprised of more than 300 paintings spanning periods from the 15th through the 19th centuries, including noteworthy works by Zurbarán, Velásquez, El Greco and Goya.

A rare and exclusive sweet wine, produced from a selection of grapes of the same name (pedro ximenez). Dehydrated in the sun and vinified using artisan methods and aged in the Solera system for over 20 years in American oak. The result is an unctuous, velvety wine with a balance of dried and stewed fruits and fresh acidity.

"The 1/24 bottling from 2024 of the sweet NV Pedro Ximénez 20 Años VOS is among the youngest wines here, even if it's already 22 years old on average. It has a serious nose and 15% alcohol, relatively low compared with others, and the aromas gravitate more toward chocolate and espresso coffee than dates and raisins. It's soft, dense and gentle but very sweet, with 438 grams of sugar that give it a very dense, thick and oily texture. It finishes with a note of bitter chocolate and licorice that somewhat compensates the sweetness, at least partially. 1,200 bottles were filled in May 2024." - 92 Points, Wine Advocate

Producer: Bodegas Tradición

Country: Spain

Region: Andalucía

Varietal: Palomino Fino, Pedro Ximenez

Appellation: Jerez-Xérès-Sherry

Vintage: NV

Size: 750ml