Sanchez Romate Cardenal Mendoza Classico 15yo Spanish Brandy 70 cl

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Cardenal Mendoza Clásico proved unlike any brandy I’d had before. It retains some of the pleasing hotness and round, robust character brandies are identified with, but adds extra layers of flavor thanks to the notes of dark, sweet fruits and dry spices added through the aging process. If you’ll forgive me for trotting out a tired cliche, it’s a bit of a “you got peanut butter in my chocolate/you got chocolate in my peanut butter” scenario, only for brandy and sherry instead.

The art of distillation reached Europe when the Moors arrived in Spain in AD 711. In the early days it was used by alchemists for perfumes or medicines, but later it was discovered that it could be used to protect wines during shipment. At some point, it was observed that the spirit aged well in barrels and small quantities of what we might call brandy were produced, but Brandy de Jerez as we know it today dates to the late XIX century when sales took off. Cardenal Mendoza Clásico ist ein Solera Gran Reserva Brandy, der aus einer Selektion der besten Holandas hergestellt wird. Holandas sind edelste Spirituosen, die langsam in Alquitaren oder Pot Stills destilliert werden. Diese sind nach dem traditionellen Solera & Criadera System gereift sind. Das Solera System von Cardenal Mendoza ist eins der größten in Jerez und besteht aus Fässern, die mit Oloroso und Pedro Ximénez Sherry gewürzt sind. Der Umfang dieses Solera Systems garantiert eine angemessene Reifung von durchschnittlich 15 Jahren und eine außergewöhnliche Qualität. Bodegas Romate follows a very careful winemaking process starting from Palomino, Airén and Pedro Ximénez grapes with white albariza soil and the Western Andalucian weather acting as a foundation for this wine. The ageing takes place in American oak barrels and the distillation in copper alquitars using the solera and criadera ageing system.

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It is then aged dynamically in the traditional system known as criaderas and soleras also used for Sherry production. The barrels used, known as “botas”, are made from American oak with a capacity of 600 litres and have been seasoned with various types of Sherry. This allows for great variation of style in the finished brandy.

Any place where wine is produced will produce its own brandy, and many are very good, but there are only three in the world which have legal protection of their name: Cognac, Armagnac and Brandy de Jerez. All three are excellent but they are very different. Cardenal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva is an excellent brandy that has been produced since 1887 in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz). The name is a tribute to Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza, a steadfast supporter of Christopher Columbus, helping convince the Catholic monarchs to sponsor his journey to the New World. Im Jahr 1877 begann die Sánchez Romate Familie mit der Herstellung von Brandy für den privaten Verbrauch. Der Ruf von der erlesenen Qualität verbreitete sich im Handumdrehen und die Kellerei beschloss, unter dem Namen Cardenal Mendoza auch für den kommerziellen Verkauf abzufüllen.Cardenal Mendoza is a Brandy De Jerez made in the sherry capital of Jerez, Spain. It comes from one of Spain’s oldest sherry bodegas, Sánchez Romate, which was established in 1781 by Juan Sánchez de la Torre and is one of the few remaining family-owned firms. The brandy was first created for the family’s own consumption, and is named for the 15th century cardinal who was counsel to King Ferdinand II and helped arrange Columbus’s voyage to the New World. This brandy is made from alquitars of the best "holandas" (a type of fortifying spirit) and is aged according to the traditional solera y criaderas system. The casks previously held Oloroso and Perdo Ximénez sherries. They form part of one of the largest Solera Gran Reserva cellars in Jerez. En 1887, la familia Sánchez Romate empieza a elaborar un brandy para consumo privado. Su calidad impulsa pronto una fama creciente y la bodega decide comercializarlo con el nombre de Cardenal Mendoza. El primer Cardenal Mendoza a quien nuestro brandy hace referencia, fue D. Pedro González de Mendoza (1423-1495), personaje histórico central en la España del siglo XV. Como consejero de los Reyes Católicos, contaba con la total confianza de la Reina Isabel, interviniendo decisivamente en el apoyo al primer viaje de Cristóbal Colon y jugando un papel decisivo en la unificación de España. Cardenal Mendoza Clasico Solera Gran Reserva is a Brandy de Jerez, a brandy made in the Spanish Sherry producing region of Jerez. Brandy de Jerez is aged in a Solera System, a fractional ageing process, more commonly used in Sherry production. Use of the solera ageing process for spirits is quite rare, however it is also used in the production of certain Solera Rums. Cognac is a city in the Charentes area of western France where distillation began in the early XVII century. The Dutch had for many years bought the local wine either for consumption as wine or for distilling to make gin or liqueurs. It soon became apparent that wine in its distilled form could be shipped more economically, and Cognac became a centre for brandy production. The wine is mainly made from the Ugni Blanc grape and is double distilled in pot stills known as “alembiques Charentais”. It is aged statically in French oak barrels of 350 litres and seasoned with young spirits. Cognac received its Appellation d’Origine Contrôllee (AOC) in 1936. Alquitaras pot stills