González Byass releases rare 1878 vintage

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 02 November, 2020

González Byass has released an ultra-limited-edition Pedro Ximénez – with just 78 bottles for sale.

The León XIII was dedicated to the investiture of the pope of that name in 1878.

The single butt of León XIII contains just 80 litres. It was discovered in the González Byass cellars by master blender Antonio Flores.

Laid down before the arrival of phylloxera in Jerez, the wine does not technically qualify as a Sherry. It has not been fortified and has an abv of 9%.

Mauricio González Gordon, current chairman of González Byass and fifth-generation family member, said: “We are delighted to be able to release this jewel of a wine as part of our rare Finite Wines Collection, but there will only be 78 bottles for sale – the remaining 20 will be stored in the González family’s bottle archive, El Aljibe.”

Creating special wines or experimental vintages to mark papal elections or royal coronations is a longstanding tradition in the González Gordon family.

Thirty bottles of the Léon XIII will be available on the UK market.

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