Compañía de Vinos del Atlántico

The story

The Jerez Beginning

In 2015, Alberto Orte began producing fortified wine in the Marco de Jerez. His family had a tradition of solera wines, and that background accompanied the new Jerez project. Patrick Mata joined him in Bodegas Poniente after the pair had already created Compañía de Vinos del Atlántico. Their range now covers the four classic generoso styles, produced in extremely small quantities with one saca each year. A saca draws wine from a solera for bottling, so each annual release is a measured extraction from the ageing system.

From the atlas

Compañía de Vinos del Atlántico

Patrick Mata and Alberto Orte’s Jerez project, Bodegas Poniente, makes classic generosos alongside Cádiz still wines, with organically farmed Palomino Fino selections and slow ageing in large butts.

At A Glance

The Producer

Patrick Mata and enologist Alberto Orte started Bodegas Poniente after creating Compañía de Vinos del Atlántico. Orte began producing fortified wine in the Marco de Jerez in 2015, drawing on his family's tradition of solera wines.

Bodegas Poniente is their Jerez generoso project, while Compañía de Vinos del Atlántico covers a multi region company and portfolio. Since 2016, the project has produced its own must from organically farmed selections of more than 200 old Palomino Fino clones.

Place

The Jerez holdings centre on Viña San Cristóbal, spanning the Añina and Balbaína pagos. The partners acquired the 16 hectares between 2011 and 2012.

Whites and reds are vinified at Viña San José. Generosos are aged at El Aljibe, a rural mansion among vines that dates to the early nineteenth century. The two locations separate still wine production from the long ageing of fortified wines.

Wines

The generoso range includes Bodegas Poniente Fino Saca 1/23, Bodegas Poniente Olorosso Saca 1/23, Bodegas Poniente Palo Cortado Saca 1/23 and Bodegas Poniente Amontillado Saca 1/23. Together they cover the four classic Jerez styles, made in extremely small quantities with one saca each year.

The generosos mature in 1,000 litre butts, twice the usual capacity. The larger vessels slow the wine's development. Vara y Pulgar Tintilla 2023 is a Cádiz red, while Vara y Pulgar Blanco 2024 is a Cádiz white, placing still wines beside the fortified range.

In The Glass

The oxidative styles bring different kinds of depth. Oloroso is generally fuller, with walnut, spice and a broad dry palate. Palo Cortado combines the nuttiness of oxidative ageing with a finer, more lifted palate.

Amontillado begins with biological ageing and continues oxidatively, bringing savoury freshness alongside nutty depth. Fino belongs to the dry, biologically aged side of Jerez, where flor protects the wine from oxygen and leaves almond and fresh dough aromas over a saline finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Bodegas Poniente Fino Saca 1/23 is the first bottle to open. Its Fino designation places it at the dry end of the generoso range, with flor ageing, a light palate and a saline finish. The Saca 1/23 name identifies the release, while the style shows the contrast between biological ageing and the fuller oxidative wines.

Final Word

Bodegas Poniente joins Jerez generoso production with Cádiz still wines, family solera tradition and organically farmed Palomino Fino material. Its wines move from flor aged Fino to oxidative styles, with the range released in very small quantities.

Sources

https://www.sherrynotes.com/2020/bodegas/bodegas-poniente/ https://spanishwinelover.com/bodega/cia-de-vinos-del-atlantico