Bodegas Valdespino

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Country of Origin: Spain
Location: Jerez de la Frontera
People: Jose Ramón Estévez, President | Eduardo Ojeda, Winemaker & Production Manager

Items

Bodegas Valdespino Brandy de Jerez Solera Gran Reserva (30+ Years) (85 proof) Login — In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino 'Ron Viejo' Rum Finished in Sherry Casks, Jerez (86 proof) Login — In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino 'Promesa' Moscatel, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO Login — In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino Vermouth, Jerez (30 proof) Login — In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino 'Contrabandista' Medium Dry Amontillado, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO Login — In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino 'Isabela' Cream Cream, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO Login WS 90 In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino 2016 'La Especial' Manzanilla Sherry, Pago de Miraflores, Sanlucar de Barrameda DO Login — On Order
Bodegas Valdespino 'Tio Diego' Amontillado, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO Login WS 92 WA 92 DEC 96 In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino (375 ml) 'Deliciosa' Manzanilla Sherry, Sanlucar de Barrameda DO Login WA 89 In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino (375 ml) 'Inocente' Fino, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO Login WS 92 WA 94 WA 94+ In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino (500 ml) 'Don Gonzalo' Oloroso VOS, Pago Carrascal, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO Login — On Order
Bodegas Valdespino (500 ml) 'Viejo C.P.' Palo Cortado VOS, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO Login AG 95 On Order
Bodegas Valdespino 'El Candado' Pedro Ximenez, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO Login WS 93 WA 90 In Stock
Bodegas Valdespino Quina, Jerez (35 proof) Login — In Stock

Valdespino is one of the oldest and most revered names in the world of Sherry, with a history that stretches back to 1264. Its story begins with Don Alfonso Valdespino, one of 24 Christian knights rewarded with land in Jerez by King Alonso after reclaiming the city from the Moors. While records of Valdespino’s winegrowing activities date to 1430, the company was officially registered in 1875, solidifying its commercial foundation. By 1883, Valdespino was named a purveyor to the Spanish Royal House and later earned the same honor from the Swedish Royal House in 1932. In a nod to its legacy, the estate trademarked the term “sacristía” in 1910, referring to the area where only the finest barrels are kept—a term now widely adopted but rightfully belonging to Valdespino.

Grupo Estevez acquired Valdespino in 1999. Rather than modernizing for convenience, Estevez spared no effort in preserving its historic legacy, hiring Eduardo Ojeda—one of Sherry’s most respected winemakers—as technical director.

One of Eduardo’s greatest achievements was the relocation and restoration of the house’s ancient soleras—some 25,000 barrels—to a new facility in northern Jerez. Eduardo believes that the soul of a great Sherry lies within the biological memory of its barrels, so the project required meticulous care. It took three years for a team of coopers to painstakingly restore each cask, preserving the identity and depth of the great Valdespino soleras. This staunch adherence to Sherry’s ancient traditions helps explain why Valdespino is today the standard-bearer for Sherry’s potential for greatness.

At the heart of Valdespino’s magic is its large vineyard holdings within Macharnudo Alto, believed to be one of Sherry’s greatest vineyards. Located 5 kilometers northwest of Jerez, it rises to 135 meters above sea level, making it the highest of the classic pagos within the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry D.O. This singular site has pure albariza soils—bright white chalk with a clay-like texture—and an orientation towards the sea, where the vines benefit from the westerly Poniente winds.

The albariza soils are a defining element of the vineyard. This unique soil absorbs rain like a sponge, locking in moisture under a hardened cap when dry, enabling vine roots to penetrate over four meters deep. This natural reservoir nurtures the vines through the dry Andalusian summers, limiting yields and endowing Macharnudo’s fruit with unmistakable mineral intensity. Few vineyards in the world offer such a profound ability to transmit terroir.

Valdespino remains unique in its uncompromising adherence to tradition. It is one of the only Sherry houses today that ferments its wines in oak casks—a practice abandoned elsewhere in favor of modern stainless steel tanks. These casks, steeped in the memory of countless vintages, add an irreplaceable texture and aromatic depth to Valdespino Sherry.

Aging is another hallmark of the house. Valdespino ages its wines far longer than the legal D.O. minimums, a remarkable commitment to quality unmatched by most Sherry producers today. For example, Fino Inocente undergoes an extensive 10-criadera solera system, while the D.O. minimum for fino requires only 2 criaderas (nursery levels of the solera).

Valdespino’s wines are a journey through history, terroir, and time itself. From the saline brilliance of Manzanilla Deliciosa, sourced from Pago Miraflores and aged in the legendary Misericordia bodega in Sanlúcar’s barrio alto, to the ethereal complexity of its VORS amontillados and palo cortados, each bottle is a profound experience. Its VORS wines, in particular, represent the pinnacle of maturity and complexity, with some soleras over centuries old. These wines stand as the ultimate expression of Sherry’s potential—both timeless and alive.

Media Links
SFGate.com: Sherry's Great Hopes, Found at Its Fringes
The World of Fine Wine: Amontillado - A Draught from Paradise
The New York Times: Your Next Lesson - Fino Sherry
The Vine Inspiration: Valdespino and the Marcharnudo Maze
The New York Times: Sherry Sidles Out of the Drawing Room

Reviews

  • Valdespino 'El Candado' Pedro Ximenez, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    The Wine Spectator
    Rating: 93 (7/31/2013)
    Offers layers of macerated date, ganache, warm caraway, buckwheat honey and chocolate-covered orange peel notes, with a deep, intense finish that lets a wonderfully smoky hint curl through. The power is obvious, the range and definition more subtle. Drink
  • Valdespino 'Tio Diego' Amontillado, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    The Wine Spectator
    Rating: 92 (7/31/2013)
    Smoky and taut, featuring date, dried orange peel, clove, singed sandalwood and salted caramel notes. The dry, nervy finish has lots of tension. Begs for salted almonds.
  • Valdespino (375 ml) 'Inocente' Fino, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    The Wine Spectator
    Rating: 92 (7/31/2013)
    High-pitched, featuring talc, chamomile, chalk and jicama notes, followed by a pure, stone-tinged finish. Very graceful, lacy and long.
  • Valdespino 'Tio Diego' Amontillado, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 92 (8/29/2013)
    The NV Tio Diego Amontillado Palomino from the Macharnudo vineyard, is fermented in botas, aged biologically for 10 years under flor in a solera separated from Inocente, and with a further five years of oxidative aging. It has a beautiful, perfumed nose of dry flowers, very elegant and clean, subtle, with some saline notes, both in the nose and the palate, where it is balanced, medium-bodied and elegant. A very fine Amontillado, showing superb value for a 15-year-old wine. Drink 2013-2019.
  • Valdespino 'El Candado' Pedro Ximenez, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 90 (8/29/2013)
    The NV El Candado Pedro Ximenez, produced from sun-dried Pedro Ximenez grapes for two weeks, and aged in a solera for an average of 8-10 years, is bottled with 400 grams of sugar and 17% alcohol. Mahogany color, the nose is a symphony of candied, dried fruits, raisins, figs and dates. The palate is clean, very sweet and spicy, and should be consumed quite fresh (10?C), with chocolate dessert (or as a dessert in itself). Drink 2013-2015.
  • Valdespino (375 ml) 'Inocente' Fino, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 94 (8/29/2013)
    The NV Fino Inocente must be one of the few wines in Jerez that is still fermented in 600-liter American oak botas, which is an incredible amount of work compared with fermenting tens of thousands of kilos of grapes (or even more) in a big stainless steel tank. This method was the norm of yesteryear, but is so labor intense that it was discontinued in most wineries, and gives a big diversity of wines, as each barrel has its own character, which contributes to the complexity of the blend. Furthermore, the bottled wine is on average 8 to 10 years old. One other thing that makes it apart from other Finos is that the grapes are exclusively from the high part of the Macharnudo vineyard, so this is a single-vineyard Fino. The nose is very complex, showing the effect of the long lees contact: chalk, dried hay, aromatic herbs and salty almonds. The palate is full, but at the same time elegant and balanced, powerful and fine, with the texture of a Meursault rather than a Puligny. A very complex wine, that manages to be both powerful and elegant. Inocente is great value for money. Drink 2013-2016.
  • Valdespino 'Isabela' Cream Cream, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    The Wine Spectator
    Rating: 90 (10/31/2013)
    The rum raisin, date and burnt orange peel notes are nicely melded with fruitcake and licorice root accents, all allied to a juicy, lush frame.
  • Valdespino (375 ml) 'Deliciosa' Manzanilla Sherry, Sanlucar de Barrameda DO
    The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 89 (8/28/2013)
    The impressive line-up is opened with the pale-colored NV Manzanilla Deliciosa, which is produced with Palomino grapes from the Miraflores vineyard and aged for five years under yeast. It is a finer version of La Guita, easy to drink, with a sweet note of apples in the nose, a polished and gentle palate, ending with a saline touch.
  • Valdespino (375 ml) 'Inocente' Fino, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 94+ (12/29/2017)
    As with many other wines from the José Estévez group, there is a special bottling of Valdespino's flagship NV Fino Inocente in magnum. It has all that you expect from Inocente, a long aging wine fermented in bota from grapes grown exclusively in the Macharnudo Alto vineyard and bottled with an average age of ten years. All the textbook aromas and flavors are there, coupled with the elegance and mineral intensity the Macharnudo white chalky soils provide.
  • Valdespino 'Tio Diego' Amontillado, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    Decanter
    Rating: 96 (6/8/2023)

    (Gold) Smoky charred wood and roasted almonds interwoven with a breeze of crushed sea shells and grated lemon zest. Has a shapely viscosity and long, spicy finish.

  • Valdespino (500 ml) 'Viejo C.P.' Palo Cortado VOS, Estate Macharnudo Alto, Jerez-Xeres-Sherry DO
    Vinous
    Rating: 95 (12/1/2023)

    "The NV Palo Cortado Viejo C.P. is sourced from a Palomino single vineyard planted in the Macharnudo area in Jerez. It underwent barrel fermentation and aged under a veil of flor in an oxidative process using the Criaderas and Solera methods. This unique wine presents classic Palo Cortado aromas, combining saffron, peas and mint with caramel, oak and cashew, in an Amontillado-like bouquet. Dry, lean and chalky, its delicate palate lingers extensively - a delightful, saline wine."