Tosca Cerrada - Cádiz
After falling in love with Palomino from his Akilia project in Bierzo, Mario Rovira started Tosca Cerrada to work with the grape in its spiritual homeland: The Sherry Triangle. The Tosca Cerrada wines are bottlings of vintage Palomino, unfortified, aged for different periods of time under flor yeast. These are emerging styles in the region, not yet recognized by the DO, although this will likely change in the coming years. They are increasing in popularity and may be the greatest sushi wines out there!
Tosca Cerrada “Mosto” 2016
100% Palomino Fino from Albariza soils, specifically Tosca Cerrada Albariza: ~50% chalk, holds water well and encourages elegant wines.
Winemaking: Fifteen months in stainless tank under flor. Unfortified. Bottled "en rama" without any treatments (no SO2, fining, filtering, or cold stabilization).
Production: 6,000 bottles
Tosca Cerrada Palomino Fino En Rama 2017
100% Palomino Fino from two of the Sherry Triangle's finest vineyards, Pagos Balbaína and Miraflores.
Winemaking: Eight months in very old Manzanilla barrels. Unfortified. Bottled "en rama" without any treatments (no SO2, fining, filtering, or cold stabilization).
Production: Only 1,000 bottles!
Tosca de Lentejuela 2017
100% Palomino Fino from two of the Sherry Triangle's finest vineyards, Pagos Balbaína and Miraflores.
Winemaking: Fifteen months in ancient Manzanilla barrels. At 15 months, the flor runs out of nutrients and starts to struggle, leading to Amontillado-esque hints of oxidation, adding complexity around what the vineyards and flor bring. Unfortified. Bottled "en rama" without any treatments (no SO2, fining, filtering, or cold stabilization).
Production: Only 450 bottles!
Professional Reviews
RP89 - Tosca Cerrada “Mosto” 2016
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
Issue Date: June 28, 2019
The 2016 Tosca Cerrada Mosto can be differentiated from the other 2016 here because it comes under screwcap and the other one has a cork and is sealed with wax. It is an unfortified Palomino Fino kept in stainless steel under a veil of flor yeasts for 15 months, a style of wine consumed locally in Sanlúcar de Barrameda and called "mosto," which is why I have included "mosto" in the name of the wine, even though it does not appear on the label. 2016 is a very good vintage in the zone, and it produced fresher and more delineated wines. This bottling felt very young, like the flor had a very mild effect on the wine. The palate is dry, and there is a classical chalky texture and a sapid, almost salty finish. 6,200 bottles.
RP91 - Tosca Cerrada Tosca de Lentejuela 2017
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
Issue Date: June 28, 2019
The new 2017 Tosca de Lentejuela is selected from one specific Manzanilla bota where the unfortified wine matured for 15 months under a veil of yeast. It has more yeasty characteristics, mixing biological and faintly oxidative notes. It has the dry sensation of the flor and the chalky soils and the sapid, tasty flavors that make it long and somehow mineral. It was bottled en rama (unfiltered) into 425 bottles in December 2018.
