Valdespino Manzanilla 'Deliciosa': A good depth of colour for a Manzanilla. Nice nose, fresh and herby. Good rounded palate, with weight and an appealing rounded fleshiness, balanced by a fresh crisp acidity. Good flavour and some length. Good example of the style. Valdespino stakes a claim as the oldest Sherry bodega, and it is hard to argue with six centuries of Sherry production as evidence. The family have been involved in making Sherry for around 700 years, exactly when they started up is not clear, the information lost in the mists of time. But in the late 13th Century, a Spanish knight, Alonso Valdespino, was granted 30 ha of vineyards by his king. From this small beginning the family established a reputation as an excellent source of the wine. The business which operates today, however, was founded as recently as 1875.The family business is located in Jerez, in some of the city's oldest and most attractive buildings. Unsurprisingly practices here are traditional, most notable is the fermentation, which takes place in cask for the vast majority of the harvest. In addition the business encompasses the bodega Manuel de Argüeso in Sanlúcar de Barrameda which is the source of the firm's Manzanilla.The range starts with the Manzanilla Deliciosa and Fino Inocente, the latter being quite full in style, veering more towards a fino-amontillado in terms of weight. There are two Amontillados, the Tío Diego which I find too full-on and structured for my liking, and the Coliseo. This latter wine is one of the stand-outs of the Valdespino range, frequently described as magnificent it has a powerful nose and flavour, reflecting the wine's age. Some find it too much. There are dry and sweet palo cortados El Cardenal and Carrascal, a dry and sweet olorosos Don Gonzalo and Isabella, and the sweet Solera 1842, PX Candada and PX Viejo Reserva Superior. (www.thewinedoctor.com)