Finolis Vino En Rama 2016 (Williams & Humbert)

Flor with fruity roundness and a natural strength: another missing piece in the Albariza wine puzzle

Not a Fino En Rama but a Vino En Rama… Finolis 2016 is the latest wine from Williams & Humbert. It is an unfortified white wine that shares a lot of similarities with their vintage Finos except that it reached its alcohol level of 14,6% in a natural way, without the addition of alcohol.

The grapes for this wine come from the Viña Dos Mercedes in the pago Carrascal, the furthest inland of all the vineyard zones in Jerez. They were picked over-ripe and given a short period of asoleo in the Andalusian sun. This concentrates the sugars and leads to a higher ABV. The wine was fermented in casks and aged statically, without the solera system. The butts were filled to about 80%, leaving some room for flor to appear.

Compared to other unfortified Palomino whites, this is unusually old as it spent four years in ex-sherry butts. The bodega calls it a Sobremadurado, an ‘over-ripe’ wine, which refers to the grapes but perhaps also to the lengthy maturation.

Finolis Vino En Rama 2016 (14,5%, Williams & Humbert 2021, 50 cl)

Nose: full and quite rounded, with a base of sweet fruity notes (quinces, ripe apples), but also more punzante flor than I expected – closer to a weighty, ripe Fino than to a white wine. Hints of straw, almonds and a whiff of floral spice.

Taste: the same weighty character, dry but with more roundness and fruity echoes than you’ll find in a regular Fino, as well as a decent acidity. There’s a good deal of flor bitterness but it’s balanced by the glycerine. A lot of nutty notes and a light chalky touch, making this a really savoury wine.

Availability: limited, available from the bodega shop for € 19. Also from Bodeboca for instance.

Summary: Another missing piece in the puzzle that is albariza wine. Finolis shares some characteristics with Luis Pérez' Finos, but adds more flor. It is perhaps slightly closer to a classic Fino albeit with rounder fruits. It's robust and elegant at the same time... worth discovering!

3.5

Really good

Tags: En Rama, Finolis, flor, White wine, Williams & Humbert

About the Author

Ruben is a Certified Sherry Educator who fell in love with sherry some 25 years ago, but switched to a higher gear in 2013 and started writing about it. Lived in Madrid for a couple of years, now back in Belgium. I also run a whisky blog over at www.whiskynotes.be