| Region of production: | Jerez-Xérès-Sherry |
| Winery Location: | Jerez de la Frontera (Cadiz) |
| Year Established: | 1830 |
Vineyard Holdings
None – All base wines are purchased through a local cooperative
Top Wines Produced
- Fino
- Amontillado
- Palo Cortado
Average Total Production
- N/A
Summary
José Antonio Sierra began as a cooper predominantly for Gonzalez Byass but wanted to establish himself as an almacenista. Sherry producers were typically part of the aristocratic social tier and the local wine establishment resisted the idea of someone of lower social strata becoming a producer. Eventually Sierra began producing small quantities. Today, his label pays homage to his initial struggles and depicts a hare being pursued by aristocratic riders. For several years the house sold wines to other shippers but began bottling wine for export under their brand name in 1992. The soleras are maintained at a higher average age because its stocks are some of the oldest in Jerez and have never been moved or sold. Since 2011, the cellar has been under the care of Ana Cabestrero, one of only two women working as such in the region, along with Barbadillo’s capataz. Like many other Jerez bodegas, El Maestro Sierra sold their vineyards in the 1930s and 1940s. Presently they purchase their base wines from a local cooperative (mostly from the pago Balbaína), with an agreement to source grapes from the same growers and parcels each year.
Style & Vinification Techniques
El Maestro is unique in that it is one of the only prominent houses to still use many of the traditional tools and methods, such as quarterly transfer of the different stages in the soleras by hand and using canoas, jarras, sifóns, and a rociador for siphoning, transferring, and refreshing wines. The wines are all handled by hand, and they employ their own in-house cooper. The bodega is situated on top of a bluff, giving unobstructed exposure to the cooling winds coming off the ocean, resulting in cooler temperatures and more vigorous flor growth. The wines spend longer than average time under flor in these advantageous climatic conditions.
Producer Website: El Maestro Sierra