February 18, 2024 - Liquid copper.
Polish. Orange peel. Nut. Beautiful, burnt caramel. I
want to sip this slowly but I want more after every drop passes my lips. This coats my palate and asks questions.
Put in a barrel half a lifetime ago. If I think what I was doing then and what I have done since, well, the mind boggles. As I loved and learnt and tried and won and lost this wine has sat and aged and grown.
All these things I think as I sip this fine, aged Oloroso and it leaves a ringing in my ears.
Drank over a few weeks in February, kept in the fridge between glasses with no ill effects. Contemplative, superb wine.
February 11, 2024 - Light tawny. Acetic notes mingling with fig and Christmas pudding notes on the bouquet. Palate is striking for the saline undertow and has a prominent acidic character that may be too much for some (like myself - not at all an experienced sherry drinker). While not my personal cup of tea it was understandable why this wine has impressed so many here - there is a wide breadth of flavours on offer and while one has to be a lover of the acetaldehydic profile, it is clear that these come together in a complex whole. Long final.
I bought 3 sherries after deciding I needed to at least explore this area of winemaking. This was my second and so far my preferred bottling. We only finished half a bottle or so, and looking forward to seeing how I feel about it when I get to the remainder. But unless something changes I don't feel I will become an avowed sherry drinker.
October 17, 2023 - Light amber with gold highlights showing clear and clean. The nose is smooth, nutty, rich sweet citrus juices and maple syrup. The palate is meaty and sweet with a very juicy entry and a long dark acidic finish.
March 10, 2023 - Fira Dismavi 2023 #2 (Sherry); 3/1/2023-3/14/2023: The wine looks light brown colored. The legs are medium. It smells like fig, mineral, stoniness, light toast, almond, walnut, alcohol/hot and sherry. The body is medium/full. The wine has linear texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.
July 1, 2022 - A slightly cloudy amber color. A nose of maple sugar and walnuts. The wine has a bracing acidity combined with very pronounced tannins. Flavors of dates, walnuts, olive brine, and maple burst forth. The wine is bone dry, however. But, for a 30 year old wine I was expecting more balance to the tannic structure. A bit rough going.
June 9, 2022 - Bodegas Tradicion et al. (Chicago, IL): 1002/2000 L3/18. This represents the next step up in terms of richness and opulence. Aldehydic notes on the nose but with a distinct sotolon character. There is a strong roasted nut component on the palate, and the acidity comes across as quite citric and sharp. A slightly oily texture moderates the acidity.
September 5, 2021 - Dinner at Jaleo (Chicago, IL): I have long been confounded by dry sherry, but I think I'm slowly starting to "get" it. The nose here is a myriad array of maple, tamarind, tangerine peel, Christmas spice, brown sugar, rancio and so many other things; it's mesmerizing in and of itself. The palate carries through on all of these flavours and has the same kaleidoscopic effect. I love the oxidation but crazy fresh acidity as well. Not much of an alcoholic kick here either; this is a lovely sort of sherry to have with food.
June 6, 2020 - Color: Deep amber, caramel
Nose: Brine, molasses, almond/amaretto
Palate: Roasted hazelnut, salty peanut brittle, burnt caramel, vanilla
Acid: medium
Mouth feel: Slightly oily, very full, minute+ nutty finish
20% abv
April 10, 2020 - This just may be the mythical sherry I have been searching for all my life. Just a lovely sherry with a rancio nose of roasted almonds, hazelnuts and buttered toffee. More roasted buttery nuts along with a vanilla note on the palate. The acidity level is high as I would expect for an oloroso, but perfect for this style of wine. Highly recommended
May 28, 2019 - A traditionalist Oloroso. The average age of the wine is 45 years, 20% alcohol, 8,17 g/l acidity and 1,87 g/l volatile acidity. Bottle no. 118 of total 4000 bottles.
Luminous, deep and concentrated reddish bronze with a pale burnished golden-yellow rim. The bouquet feels very powerful, open and intense with an impressive array of aromas of caramel, sweet syrupy molasses, some volatile nail polish character, a little bit of raisins and prunes, a hint of porcini mushrooms and a touch of smoke. The wine is full-bodied, very concentrated and noticeably heavier than the Bodegas Tradición VORS Amontillado with dry yet subtly sweet-toned flavors of apple peel and espresso-like bitterness, rancio tones of rancid nuts, some hay, quite pronounced alcohol heat, rather intense aldehydic sharpness, light saline tones and nuances of sorrel, a little bit of syrupy sweetness, a mushroomy hint of porcini and a touch of vanilla custard. Although the mouthfeel is oily and viscous, the wine never comes across as particularly weighty, but instead surprisingly lively and light on its feet, thanks to the exceptionally high acidity for a Palomino. The remarkably long, intense and quite warm finish is sharp, powerful and very slightly sticky with a complex aftertaste of syrupy molasses, some espresso bitterness, a little bit of tangy salinity, light rancio tones of roasted nuts, a mushroomy hint of porcini and a sweeter touch of caramel and vanilla custard.
An exceptional powerhouse of a Sherry. Extraordinary complexity, intensity and harmony here. Unlike the Bodegas Tradición VORS Amontillado, which is noticeably sharper in style with heavier emphasis on the sharp aldehydic character and other elements of biological aging, this is all about the depth and concentration that comes from the prolonged oxidative aging. This is something akin to an Oloroso concentrate with remarkable clarity and purity. I can imagine the elevated levels of VA might be a distraction to some, but I didn't mind them one bit. This is getting as perfect as a Sherry can be. Solid value at ~60€. Very highly recommended.