Ramiro Ibañez "Agostado" Cortado, Jerez, Spain 2019

FROM JOSÉ PASTOR:

THE WINE: Agostado (formerly Encrucijado) is a blend of old, almost extinct varieties Perruno (in Trebujena, pago de Horadada), Uva Rey (in Arcos de la Frontera and Chiclana) and Palomino (in El Carrascal) planted on different types of Albariza soils at different altitudes around the Marco de Jerez. Grapes were hand-harvested late September, pressed whole-cluster into two old 500L Jerez botas for spontaneous fermentation without temperature control, and raised in bota for 26 months (under flor the last 4 months) before being bottled with a light filtration. This rare, single vintage, unfortified wine (during aging ABV increased from 13.6 to 14.95%) undergoes biological and oxidative aging, like a Palo Cortado from yesteryear.

THE PRODUCER: To revive tradition and fully express the unique terroir of Jerez are the goals of Ramiro Ibáñez, the talented mind behind Cota 45 and one-half of the team behind M. Ant. De La Riva. This visionary, a native of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is one of the most knowledgeable winemakers in Jerez, the storied home of Manzanilla in southern Spain. Ramiro graduated with a degree in enology and spent three years working around the world before receiving a dream job offer to return home in 2009. Since then, Ramiro has been consulting for different bodegas, and in 2012 he was able to start his own project, initially called Cota 45. The name was a reference to 45 meters above sea level, the point where he believes the best albariza soils can be found. Starting in the 2023 vintage, the Cota 45 wines are being bottled under Ramiro's own name, leaving behind the old label. In 2021 he built a small bodega for this project in a former boat repair shop overlooking the Guadalquivir river. He lovingly refers to his bodega as his “albarizatorio,” or a lab for unearthing the best that this legendary, white-chalk soil has to offer. He is an advocate for the preservation of history, a student of the soil, and is passionate about producing wine that truly reflects the distinctive terroir of this extraordinary region.