Wine Fondillón Salvador Poveda Great Reserve 1987

HISTORY OF THE WINE

  The Fondillón wine is hardly being elaborated at a commercial level. As for antonomasia, it is the Rancio wine of Alicante. It is made of the best grapes of Monastrell and it is being repared with the care and attention a noble wine requires. During many years it rests in old oak barrels in order to settle.

  It's origin lies in the cultivated fields (Huerta) of Alicante. It was in sandy, warm and quiet fields of Fabraquer, La Condomina, Orgegia, etc, etc, that the vines were cultivated with devotion, to later on give name and fame to the Fondillón wine.

  José Guardiola y Ortiz transcribed some text that was attributed to certain Francisco Martinez Montino, chief cook of our King Philips II, titled: "Conduchos de Navidad". In this book, which apparently was written at the occasion of the arrival in Alicante in January 1585 of Japanese representation, that according to the author was composed of "Princes and princesses of a very high status", says, amongst other things:

  "Fondillón: amongst all the noble wines that this Huerta produces, you will find in first place the one that has its own name: Fondillón, which is a slightly sweet, mature wine of the Huerta of Alicante. It's fame is such, that the lords and princes, on tasting it, pronounced the following words:...but    this is the famous "Alicante wine" that is so well known in many countries!!!"

  Actually only in the privilege of a few estates a barrel is conserved that contains still a very small quantity of what was that Fondillon. In particular in "Caseta Nova" in the fields of fabraquer, there is an oak barrel, a real beauty of craftsmanship, whith a plaque that says: The Society of Barrel-makers of alicante bestows this wine-butt upon its honorary President Mr. Juan Maisonnave, Alicante 1892" This barrel is filled with a marvellous Fondillón.            

PRODUCTION REGION:

ELABORATION PROCESS:        

  As we already mentioned before, this wine is made, of the best grapes of the Monastrell-vine. Very sweet grapes, with a very high, almost exceptional sugar concentration, always surpassing the 16 degrees "Baumé" and even reaching 18 degrees or more. Now some times and in past nearly always, these grapes were layed out in the sun on wattle screens, in a places called "Safareig", at least during several days, in order to increase it's sugar concentration. This wine is born as soft and light coloured claret. Therefore the contact with the marcs is very short, only up to the beginning of the fermentation. This way its characteristic colour and marvellous fruitfull taste is obtained, without any sourness or astringency. When fermentation has ended and because of the surplus of sugar its taste is slightly sweet or medium-dry, very fragrant and clear to palate. After choosing only the best harvests to be ripen for a long time, the process of maturing begins. The old oak barrels, that previously have been rinsed, are being filled little by little with nearly matured wines from other barrels and these barrels are filled again with already mature wines, in order to obtain by means of a process in a very rigorous order, the quality and the very special characteristics inherent in this magnificent wine.

Some years -but this happens very seldom- the vintage is of such exceptional quality that the wine can mature alone, without being mixed and can be put in old barrels with vintage wine, with the authentic Fondillón. This has been the case with the vintage of 1970.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Apart from those, already mentioned, we could emphasize its colour, that changes from the red when still young to the amber when it has matured. Its bouquet is that so characteristic of rancio wine. The palate is soft, medium dry, nearly slightly sweet. With a high alcoholic strength of sixteen to eighteen degrees, it is altogether harmonic and balanced. It is a delight to drink it with the dessert, with sweets or just alone.

LITERARY REFERENCES:

 In "The count of Monte-Cristo" written by Alexandre Dumas, the following scene is described:

 The count of Monte-Cristo is visited by the marquis Bartolomeo Cavalcanti and Dumas explains in his book that Cavalcanti is an aristocrat who knows well about the art of drinking. The count of Monte-Cristo offers the marquis Cavalcanti something to drink inviting him to have a glas of Sherry, Port or Alicante. Cavalcanti decides to have a glass of Alicante, as he explains: "It´s my favourite wine". After making this choice the count offers him some biscuits and cakes "As they go so well with this wine". (Dumas, Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie. "Le Comte de Monte-Cristo" 1844)

  We can find another interesting anecdote about the "Fondillón de Alicante" written by Le Duc de Saint-Simon in his memories about the century of Louis XIV (The Sun King).

  He tells that at that time the Alicante wine was very well known in all the royal houses among Europe. Loius XIV, king of France, was an enthusiastic conumer of this wine. He tasted it for pleasure but also when he felt week. We can reed in the memories that the Sun King took his medicine in Alicante wine and on the last days of his life he seemed to better when he drank a little bit of Fondillón and we can also reed how he asked for some biscuits dipped in Alicante before expiering.

"On donna donc au roi dix gouttes de cet élixir dans du vin d'Alicante, sur les onze heures du matin".

"Le roi mangea meme deux petits biscuits dans un peu de vin d'Alicante   avec une sorte d'appétit". (Saint-Simón, duc de. Mémoires sur le siécle de Louis XIV et la Regence. Tome premier. Les Derniers Jours Du Roi. 1739-52)

When we read "Alicante" the Fondillón is called by it´s surname as originally this wine is called "Fondillón de Alicante".