When the Marqués de Villapanés ordered the
construction of his Palacio de Villapanés in the barrio San Miguel in central
Jerez in the 1760s he built various outbuildings close by such as stables. One
of those outbuildings, which now forms part of the Calle Cazón, 50 metres from
the Palacio, is a lovely vaulted space which was converted into a very
attractive if unusual bodega at the beginning of the XX century.
It has
an excellent microclimate for the production of good Sherry and has a pretty
patio. For many years it was run by the almacenista Juan Vega Pérez. In 1998 it
was bought from him in a very poor state by Antonio Mariscal Domínguez who
brought 28 years of experience at Rumasa’s Bodegas Internacionales and who continued
to run the bodega in an artisan way. After sorting out the bodega and its 670
butts, he started off selling Manzanilla – the controversial “El 69” - then the
other styles as well, both in bulk and in bottle. There was a separate bottling
plant. While Antonio had his own brands it was rare to see them in shops.
In 2001 the firm suffered a huge organised
fraud to the tune of 18,000 bottles with a value of around € 72,000. Luckily the
Civil Guard caught the offenders and Antonio survived. But not for very long.
As the crisis hit, Gran Mariscal was one of those which did not survive. The
firm was still going in 2007 but the doors are now closed and sadly there seems
to have been no activity in recent years.
Products:
Amontillado “Muy Viejo,” PX “Borboreo” (the
gypsy Word for Jerez) and Oloroso Viejísimo “Monte Alto”
They also produced 4 brandies (Reliquia 1784, Solera
1942, Gran Mariscal and Borboreo) and a vinegar from a 40 year old, 65 butt
solera called Sueño Andaluz.
Address: Calle Cazón, 9, 11402 Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz
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