Ramiro Ibáñez UBE Miraflores 2024

Ramiro Ibáñez is one of the most knowledgeable winemakers in Jerez. He grew up in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, studied enology, worked around the world, then came home in 2009 when a dream job appeared. In 2012 he started his own project, Cota 45, named after 45 metres above sea level, where he believes the best albariza soils live. Now he bottles under his own name. He built a small bodega in a former boat repair shop overlooking the Guadalquivir river. He calls it his "albarizatorio." A lab for unearthing what that legendary white chalk soil can do.

Here's the thing, though. This wine is from Jerez but isn't sherry. Not fortified. Ramiro's aim is to craft his own interpretation of Jerez and the albariza soils, no fortification involved. Think of it more like a non-ouillé Jura or a beautifully oxidative Loire Chenin. It's still wine, but it has that something else.

UBE Miraflores comes from five different plots in Miraflores Alta and Baja, one of the most celebrated pagos in Sanlúcar. The vines are 80 to 90 years old, planted at 50 to 60 metres above sea level, facing west on three different types of albariza soil. Lentejuelas. Lustrillo. Tosca Cerrada. Three months of biological aging under flor, then another five months of oxidative aging. That's where the magic happens.

Drink it with seafood, with almonds, with a plate of olives, with the sun setting over water. That's where it belongs.