Bodegas Cesar Florido, Cruz Del Mar Amontillado 375ml (NV) De Maison East

he César Florido bodega was founded in 1887 and is currently maintained by César Florido, a fifth-generation descendant of the founder. The winery is the oldest bodega in Chipiona, located five miles from Sanlúcar de Barrameda along the road that continues to Rota. César Florido is one of only two bodegas in Chipiona that are still operating outside of the cooperative. Although technically Chipiona lies outside the Zona de Crianza for the D.O., he makes some of the most singular wines in the area, sought out by true believers in César. 

César Florido owns three separate bodegas in Chipiona, one of which houses his iconic Cruz del Mar Amontillado solera, just 50 meters from the ocean. With the closest proximity to the sea of any bodega in the region, his wines are imbued with the very spirit of this maritime climate through year-round, thick, luxurious flor. 

Vinification – Cruz del Mar is produced exclusively with palomino grapes grown by César’s family in the Balbaína and Miraflores pagos (vineyards). After harvesting, the grapes are crushed and undergo alcoholic fermentation in traditional cement vats, which naturally regulate the temperature. The bodega where his Amontillado solera ages is located just 50 meters from the Atlantic Ocean. After being fortified to 15% abv., the wine is aged biologically under the flor for four years before being further fortified to 18% ABV. and aged oxidatively. César Florido Amontillado spends an average of eight years in the solera process before being bottled en rama, without fining or filtration.