Xérès Cream Isabela, Valdespino

In 1264, a group of 24 knights led the troops of King Alfonso X to reconquer the city of Jerez, which was under Moorish rule at the time. Once the city was reconquered, the king rewarded this group of noble knights with properties and lands. One of them, Alfonso Valdespino, also received a vineyard on the outskirts of the city. This is the first official record of a Valdespino involved in local viticulture, and although there is evidence of some commercial transactions in Jerez in 1430, A.R. Valdespino was established as a company (producing and selling wine) in 1875. In 1883, Valdespino became an official supplier to the Spanish Royal Household. In 1910, the company registered the brand "Sacristia" where the oldest wines of the winery are kept. In 1999, the Estévez family, renowned producers of Sherry and Brandy, acquired Valdespino and opened a new period. Valdespino is the only sherry house that controls the entire production process: vineyards, vinification, ageing and bottling. It has facilities in the three towns of the D.O.: Jerez, Sanlúcar and El Puerto. It is also one of the few owners of vineyards in Pago Macharnudo, considered a "grand cru". Finally, the winery is the only one in the appellation to produce single-vineyard wines: Inocente, Tío Diego, Viejo C.P. and Cardenal. The wines are still fermented according to the age-old traditional method. And very small...