César Florido

Founded in 1887, the winery is now run by César Florido, a sixth-generation descendant of the founder. It is the oldest in Chipiona and one of the oldest in the Marco de Jerez, located just eight kilometres along the coast from Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The estate comprises three separate bodegas in the town, one of which houses his iconic Cruz del Mar solera, just 50 metres from the Atlantic Ocean. The family also maintains a solera in Sanlúcar de Barrameda for Manzanilla production. With more than 20 hectares of their own vineyards and holdings in a number of premier pagos, this is the whole grower-producer package.

César Florido is famed for Moscatel, producing in three distinct styles: Dorado, Especial, and Pasas — benchmarks for the classic, balanced sweet wines of the zone, marked by orange blossom and jasmine on the nose, and a honeyed, raisiny palate. The Moscatel vines are planted around the village of Chipiona, in its sandy-clay soils, as well as in the premier albariza soils of Añina and Balbaína.

Beyond Moscatel, César Florido's Palomino Fino wines are equally exceptional. Fermented with native yeasts, the Fino develops beneath a thick flor sustained year-round by Chipiona's maritime humidity, before the range moves through Amontillado to a fully oxidative Oloroso.