If there is anyone capable of breaking the mould, it is Raúl Moreno. He has been doing it for years. His nonconformist spirit allows him to be no other way. And now, once again, he achieves this with Raúl Moreno Destellos, a captivating white wine that turns everything upside down.
After gaining experience around the world, Raúl returns to Spain, specifically to Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where in 2021 he boldly plants arinto, a Portuguese white grape variety renowned for its high acidity. Why not? His aim was to cultivate enough grapes to blend with palomino (a native variety from southern Spain) to maintain and balance the acidity of his creations when necessary. What no one anticipated was that this combination of varieties, organically cultivated on the albariza soils (rich in calcium carbonate) in the Miraflores and Balbaína vineyards, would become one of the most delightful and astonishing blends ever seen in the Jerez region.
Everything about Raúl Moreno is admirable, even his production processes. In the case of Raúl Moreno Destellos, the grapes are harvested and crushed by foot, leaving the must in contact with the skins for about eight hours. This harvest paste is then transferred to the vertical press where the whole cluster is further pressed, resulting in a cloudy must, unfined, which will ferment directly in old amontillado and manzanilla casks. This means Raúl Moreno Destellos is left at the mercy of indigenous yeasts without waiting for the elements and substances in suspension to settle at the bottom of the vessel. Once fermentation is complete, Raúl Moreno Destellos undergoes reductive ageing in these same casks, where efforts are made to minimise contact with oxygen. To achieve this, each cask is topped up once a week.
It is said that the future always belongs to the brave. And with Raúl Moreno Destellos, it is clear that the Jerez region still has a rich history ahead. Thank you, Raúl!