Raúl Moreno Destellos 2023

Raúl Moreno Yagüe crafts wines that bridge tradition and experimentation, always starting from the vineyard. After an international career as a sommelier and winemaker, from Australia to Burgundy, he returned to his native Seville to create still wines in the sherry region, with character, precision, and terroir at their core. Raúl offers a fresh and personal take on the future of Andalusia, gracefully breaking away from the somewhat fossilised image of the sherry zone.

Destellos is a white wine made from old vines rooted in the chalky albariza soils of the ‘pago’ Miraflores in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. palomino forms the backbone, complemented by 15% arinto, which brings natural acidity and finesse.

The grapes are gently foot-treaded and spend 8 hours in contact with the skins. They are then pressed as whole bunches using a vertical press. Fermentation takes place spontaneously on the full lees (mosto turbio, i.e., unclarified) in old 700-litre chestnut barrels previously used for manzanilla and amontillado. The barrels are topped up weekly to maintain a reductive ageing environment and avoid oxidation.

In the glass, this wine shows depth and tension. The texture is layered and soft without being creamy, with a pronounced mineral backbone, a saline edge, and a long, clean finish. arinto adds tension with its vibrant acidity, while palomino expresses the terroir: stony, salty, and linear.

A still white that redefines the DNA of Sanlúcar de Barrameda – intense, saline, and razor-sharp.

Producer: Raúl Moreno Yagüe
Grapes: palomino, 15% arinto
Country: Spain
Region: Andalusia – Jerez & Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Style: full-bodied white wine
Wine & food: seared scallops, langoustine with herb butter, hamachi
Serving temperature: 12°C
Ageing potential: 5 years
Volume: 75 cl