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White dry
De La Riva Macharnudo San Cayetano 2024 – white “Vino de Pasto” (dry, unfortified white table wine) from Jerez de la Frontera, originating from the legendary Macharnudo pago, San Cayetano vineyard. This is a 100% ‘Palomino Fino’ wine from vines planted in 1988. This place is valued for its extremely pure calcareous soils and is considered one of the most important historical areas of Jerez, so the wine does not speak of the oxidative style of sherry, but of the pure character of the place, variety and plot.
The aroma of the wine seems restrained, but very nuanced. There is a sense of iodine, sea salt, citrus peel, pear, white flowers, smoky reduction and slightly nutty tones, so the overall impression is not fruity in the broad sense, but precise, salty, mineral.
The wine is structured, deep. It is characterized by a pronounced salty sensation, an angular, firm mineral line, lively acidity and a long, layered aftertaste. This is not a light everyday white, but a serious, concentrated, gastronomic ‘Palomino’, which, although already impressive, also has very good maturity potential.
The character of this wine is very much shaped by the terroir. The grapes come from 3.35 hectares of albariza soil, formed from microscopic diatomaceous silica skeletons. It is in the San Cayetano plot that albarizas de barajuelas predominate, which give the wine a deeper, more powerful and intense texture.
The winemaking is very precise, with a low intervention approach. The grapes were hand-harvested on August 30, 2024, fermented in 615-liter barrels with indigenous yeasts, without temperature control, and then aged for one year under flor film.
Serve at 12-14°C with seafood, oily white fish, cured hams, sushi, sashimi, tapas-type dishes with olive oil, seafood or cheese.
This opens with iodine, crusted sea salt and a subtle touch of lime, wrapped in delicate floral notes. The palate is saline and expansive, yet ample and incisive, with a deep texture. There’s a solid and angular, almost architectural sense of salinity here, layered and persistent. One of the most compelling expressions of this style. Drink or hold.
The white 2024 Macharnudo San Cayetano comes from a very old plot of Palomino in Pago Macharnudo, San Cayetano, where the natural concentration is very high. San Cayetano has different exposures, and this is selected from the north-facing side, which gives more freshness and elegance to the wines. The year is much better; they have more experience with the vineyard and they gave it less flor, because the wine had the natural concentration and complexity. There might be some 10% of wine with flor (in previous vintages was 15% to 20%) to give it a little bit more salinity. The wine displays a bright, almost fluorescent yellow color and a complex nose, subtle and nuanced rather than explosive. It's still far too young and will gain complexity in bottle and also weight and depth. In two years, this should be a bomb! It has a vibrant palate with pungent sensations and is intensely mineral and very long and sapid. 6,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2025. This is sold exclusively through La Place de Bordeaux.
"De La Riva": A Reborn Jerez Legend and a Return to Historical Roots
The history of "De La Riva" began back in 1858 when Manuel Antonio de la Riva founded a highly regarded winery in Jerez. Although over the years this name was absorbed by large corporations and nearly faded into oblivion, a true turning point occurred in 2017. Two of perhaps the most prominent visionaries and winemakers of modern Jerez, Ramiro Ibáñez and Willy Pérez, brought the "De La Riva" legend back to life.
Today, this project is not just a winery; it is a true manifesto. Instead of following the industrialized and standardized Sherry path, the creators turned back to the region's deepest traditions. The core of their philosophy revolves around historical vineyards, ancient winemaking practices, and a unique sense of terroir. By dedicating special attention to legendary Jerez zones such as Macharnudo and Balbaína, they boldly prove that the region's land can speak not only through fortified wines but also through profoundly serious, terroir-driven unfortified dry whites.
The "De La Riva" portfolio masterfully intertwines two intriguing directions:
Innovative Classics: These are limited-edition annual wines (for example, the famous Macharnudo whites). Although they slowly age under flor (a veil of yeast), these wines maintain the pure identity of an unfortified dry white wine along with exceptional freshness.
Historical Masterpieces: These are true imprints of time—exceptionally rare pearls from old solera systems released in microscopic quantities, Manzanilla, Oloroso, and other historical-style Jerez wines.
It is precisely because of this unique combination and uncompromising respect for the past that "De La Riva" is today considered one of the most exciting wine projects in the world. It is an invitation to rediscover the true depth of the Jerez region and its invaluable heritage.
