Bodega San Francisco Javier

Peter Sisseck is best known as the Dane behind ‘Pingus’, one of Spain’s most famous red wines. However, since 2020, he has devoted himself to another passion: creating what he calls Spain’s finest white wine, a ‘Fino’ sherry made from grapes grown in a single iconic vineyard in Jerez de la Frontera.

History

Sisseck first visited Jerez in 1993, when he arrived in Spain to manage Hacienda Monasterio in Ribera del Duero. The Jerez region remained in his memory. When he created Pingus in 1995, Jerez remained a parallel dream. In 2020, he joined forces with Carlos del Río, father and son, to found Bodegas San Francisco Javier at Calle San Francisco Javier, 8 in Jerez. The first batch sold out instantly, and despite disruptions caused by Covid-19, waiting lists have formed.

Vineyards and terroir

This wine is made entirely from grapes from Pago Balbaína, one of Jerez’s most historically significant pagos, a vineyard area with chalky albariza soils to the west of Jerez. Albariza is pure white clay with a high calcium content, which absorbs winter rains and slowly releases moisture throughout the summer, sustaining the vines in an otherwise completely arid Mediterranean climate.

Grape varieties

100% Palomino Fino, the traditional white grape variety of Jerez, used for all dry styles of sherry.

Winemaking and wines

The wine is produced as a Fino, which means it is aged biologically under a layer of flor, a natural film of yeast that protects the wine from oxidation and gives Fino its characteristic freshness and salinity.

The result is a unique wine, Viña Corrales Pago Balbaína Fino, a Palomino with a distinct terroir, aged biologically, which is bottled at 15% ABV.

It is produced in very small quantities and is usually sold out before it even goes on sale.