Callejuela

With their boots dusted with albariza the humble and charming brother duo José ‘Pepe’ and Francisco ‘Paco’, more known as the Blanco Hermanos, founded Callejuela together with their father within their family home in 1998. During the mid two thousands they bottled their first sherry under their own label. What once started off with dos botas viejas have to this day transformed into something completely new. In the early takeoff the brothers began to trade their mosto with clients in exchange from used casks instead of cash – today reaching nearly 750 once in use. The holdings have over the years expand from 5 to 28 hectares spread over the chalky soils in southern Spain. Going from only producing base wine from own vineyards, selling to the neighboring up-scaled bodegas of Sanlúcar they are now established as the as the independent bottler and vigneron we know today.

In an area where the bigger majority of producers are buying base wines or grapes Callejuela´s wines are born and raised from their own Palomino Fino vines. The hectares are divided over the famous Macharnudo vineyard (Jerez), Pago Añina (Jerez), La Callejuela vineyard (Sanlúcar) and Pago Hornillo (Sanlúcar). Being in the Sherry Triangles their engagement to the vineyard is quite rare, they know their lands like the back of their hands. According to themselves their origin is truly in the vineyards,
heartily working the estate 365 days a year. To them the work in the field, and not leaving anything to chance, is the key to everything they do.

Their philosophy has always been to maintain the purest expression of the Palomino Fino grape. They orchestrate a longer hang time on the vines compared to neighboring bodegas (approximately +2 weeks), giving the grapes a golden opportunity to get more influences of the dry, crusted terroir transmitted. The outcome in bottles in an exciting contrast and range of true-to-heart sherries but also single-vineyard, single-vintage vinos tranquilos.

With sapidity Callejuela are showing one of the most zestful kaleidoscopes of Sherry flavor heritage and diverse new born fragrances that southern Spain has to offer. “Salt of the Earth” hard not to love unconditionally.