Exceptional Harvest
Ximénez-Spínola | Pedro Ximénez
"A challenge to oenological logic: a white wine that deceives the senses with its honeyed nose and a structured, unctuous, and dry palate."
Innovation and Purity in Jerez: A Unique Pedro Ximénez White Wine
Exceptional Harvest is the most personal and fascinating interpretation from the iconic Ximénez-Spínola winery. If you are looking to buy Exceptional Harvest white wine by Ximénez-Spínola, you will discover a label that breaks the mold by using 100% Pedro Ximénez grapes harvested with three weeks of over-ripening on the vine, vinified completely to dryness. Aged on lees for 4 months in barrels that previously held the house's sweet jewels, it achieves unprecedented oenological complexity: an aromatic explosion that suggests a sweet profile, yet delivers superb elegance, glyceric body, depth, and a decisively dry finish on the palate. This distinguished dry white wine from Jerez is ideal for collectors and wine lovers looking for exclusive sensory experiences, available for direct purchase at La Cava Shop.
1. Profile Identity
- Winery: Ximénez-Spínola.
- Origin: Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.
- Varietal: 100% Pedro Ximénez.
- Type: Late Harvest White (Dry).
- Aging: 4 months on lees in American oak.
- Volume: 750 ml.
2. Sommelier Notes
Appearance: Intense golden-yellow color with amber glints and brilliant reflections. It displays very marked and persistent glyceric "tears" in the glass.
Nose: A fascinating sensory deception. It unfolds intense notes of dried figs, dried apricots, acacia honey, and withered white flowers over a mineral and fine cabinetry background provided by its time in wood.
Palate: Broad, unctuous, and almost fleshy entry. One is immediately surprised by its dry character and perfectly integrated acidity that refreshes the palate. An extremely long aftertaste that brings back elegant memories of overripe fruit.
3. Oenological Character
AROMATIC INTENSITY [ ● ● ● ● ● ]
UNCTUOUSNESS / BODY [ ● ● ● ● ● ]
PERCEIVED SWEETNESS [ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ]
PROFILE [ DISRUPTIVE / DRY ]
4. The Art of Serving and Pairing
Pairing: Excellent companion for foie gras, soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert, rich mountain-style rice dishes, grilled fatty fish, or sweet-and-sour Thai cuisine.
Glassware: Serve in a full-bodied white wine glass to enhance its complex aromatic palette.
Temperature: Enjoy between 10°C and 12°C to balance its glyceric volume with its freshness.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Exceptional Harvest a sweet wine?
No, despite the fact that its nose suggests sweetness due to the over-ripening of the Pedro Ximénez grape, it is a dry white wine. Its fermentation process continues until the sugars are exhausted, resulting in a structured, glyceric, and dry wine.
What does it mean to be an 'Exceptional Harvest'?
It refers to the late harvest method. The grapes are left to over-ripen on the vine for three weeks longer than usual, concentrating aromas of figs and honey, without reaching the total raisin-like state of traditional sweet wine.
How does the wood influence this wine?
It is aged for 4 months on its lees in American oak barrels that previously held sweet wines from the winery, which gives it a silky unctuousness and notes of fine wood without losing its freshness.