This Manzanilla Pasada En Rama is bottled 4 times each year and this is the "Saca de Otoño" (autumn bottling) done on the 2025 autumn equinox.  The UK allocation of this sherry was just 9 cases and I managed to secure one of them... As this Manzanilla Pasada is aged for 8 years a small amount of oxidative ageing follows the extended biological ageing that takes place when the Manzanilla is young.  The flor feeds off the natural nutrients in the Sherry and, because of its age, when those nutrients have been exhausted the flor thins and the oxidative ageing element happens.  When a bottling takes place and the solera is refreshed with younger wines more nutrients arrive and the flor recovers.  How and when this happens depends on the season and associated temperature and humidity.

This is a Manzanilla of great intensity and character which is complex with that characteristic seaside tang and fresh acidity.  It's dark fino in colour but with a freshness and concentration of flavour like no other.  A Manzanilla for true enthusiasts bottled with minimal intervention straight from the cask.

These are intriguing Sherries because of the timing of their release and the condition of the "flor" in the different seasons (yeast covering that forms naturally on the surface of the Sherry and lends its own flavour to the wine whilst protecting it from oxygen).  The condition of the flor when the Manzanilla is bottled results in very subtle differences in style.  I will explain...

Saca de Primavera (spring equinox bottling) tends to be the freshest, as the flor wakes up after being dormant over the winter.  It typically is the most elegant and delicate of the quartet.  The Saca de Verano (summer solstice bottling) is a little richer and more intense which is the result of the summer heat placing the flor under a degree of stress, thinning it slightly.  The Saca de Otoño (autumn equinox bottling) tends to be rounder and more complex with the flor recovering as the lower temperatures arrive, and this autumn bottling shows more "flor" character on the nose than the summer one, but with the same intensity of flavour.  The Saca de Invierno (winter solstice bottling) is very flor dominant in flavour as the consistent cooler temperatures of the winter season encourage the flor to thicken and import more of its character to the Manzanilla.

Each of these quarterly bottlings of this Manzanilla is unique, and only ever available in tiny quantities.  Each Saca label is also unique with a different animal selected for each one.  In the past it has usually been a bird from the Doñana National Park, which is a wetland area on the other side of the Guadalquivir river to Sanlucar.  More recently fish and game from Doñana have featured on the labels.  Doñana is a wetland of international importance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The park is essential in preserving the microclimate of the region which is vital for the production of Sherry, and especially Manzanilla because of its proximity.

This is a unique opportunity to sample a most extraordinary Manzanilla Pasada.  Please also consider the half bottles of Barbardillo's Manzanilla Padasa En Rama "Pastora" which is a regularly stocked line which you can view by clicking here.