NV Casa Pedro Domecq Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Amontillado 51-1a Solera 1830 30 Years Old

Community Tasting Notes (11) Avg Score: 93.5 points

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  12/26/2015 - sharonandroland Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Concentrated, rich and complex

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  10/1/2015 - sweetstuff wrote: 95 Points

  $60/750 ml; Solera 1830, purchased by Osborne at the time Domecq sherry stores were auctioned off.
  
  Allied Domecq Wines USA, importer Healdsburg, CA. UPC 633438012965. 19 pabv, from a Solera begun 1830. Bottle code LG 072 G1J.
  VORS 492822.
  
  Apologies for the length and complexity of this note. I find it near impossible to deal with a sherry of this quality and complexity in a neat and brief note. For those in a rush:
  
  "... Light bodied but clingy, smoky orange-red-brown. Complex nose begins with lots of VA, and later shows mainly in herbs and meaty notes with a dose of honey, with rapid changes evident. Very dry-dusty entry with exotic wood and unusual, bitter, papery flavors and ancient leath Finish extremely dry, delicate yet complex and powerful at the same time. A fascinating wine.
  
  Overall some will find the flavors unusual and even strange to them. However, my judgment, based on this and the performance of other bottles, is that this is a wine of extremely high quality, but one that is an extreme organoleptic and intellectual challenge to taste fairly. It has plenty to offer the skilled taster, but may not be the one to pour for an entry-level sherry imbiber. Now (after decanting and lots of wrist exercise) to 2035 at least. Don't be afraid to follow it over several days in the decanter.
  
  95/100..."
  
  Now, for the more relaxed reader:
  
  T-cork finish.Examined initially in an Impitoyable-like tasting glass at cellar temp, abut 52F plus. Rich full brown, but still transparent, fair amount of tartrate-like sediment plate crystals. Broadly separated tears, reminding one of Tudor Gothic-like arches. show off light body in the face of its usual high alcohol.
  
  Immediate showing of a punchy extra-veccio-balsamico-like volatile acidity, somewhat high for type but expected; more acetic acid than ethyl acetate-based. Tea and classic veal-rich brown stock with flits of a delightful salty-sweet caramel leading into pounded-leather parchment and something that reminds me of an Egyptian mummy room at the Field Museum, where my cousin Michael Trombley holds forth. In five minutes the volatile acid is mostly gone but the volatile esters remain, to the benefit of the wine. A briny, medicinal, puff of sea-air and an exotic wood note is perceptibly entangled with the above; obviously much more to come as we go on for a few days or so. For example, the scorched pine sawdust that dominated the smell of the work area where my father and I put together an addition to the house when I was a pre-teen.
  
  This is a dry, dry, dry sherry. Did I say it's a dry sherry? Well, it is.
  
  The touch in the mouth is light; there is a strange kraft-paper like white wine tannin on the tongue, reminding me of a dry Old Mission Peninsula Riesling, with a somewhat scratchy impression at first, to be resolved, I'd guess, with time in decanter; goes down best at first in small sips. Initially quite persistent finish is in need of integration but is otherwise promising. Showing off later a nice lamb broth flavor and with some bacon fat-coated oak-leaf lettuce on the upper register. With harmonizing, this wine will easily be worth another half-point or so.
  
  Second day tasting (in a Riedel Riesling stem, noting only changes): Instead of tartrate, now I see cloudy moderate fine bittiness; the sheeting hangs up on this glass now and takes 30 seconds to weep a tear; then forms smaller but still Tudoresque church-windows. Color seems warmer and a bit more fiery red-orange rather than brown; altogether livelier. The nose is more integrated and a bakery-like gloss of meaty-delicate breadiness, sort of like the steam from a hot Welsh pasty. There is a little muddied but dry leather underneath at this point. Sloshing the wine back into the Impitoyable-knockoff, you have something much more like what was there yesterday with the exception of two things--greater harmony and an emerging honey surface expression.
  
  Not disturbed at all to find this, like other bottles, having quite distinctively its own identity, and will look for a surprise or two down the road from this one. Will be probably as stable as the cork and this bottle wouldn't be hurt by anything from 5 to 25 years more cellaring. Again, I'd recommend sweeping up this whenever available at a good price, and particularly being on the lookout for the older bottlings with round bottles and different labels without the Spanish Chancery Italic script as is shown in the illustration. If you spot any of the older ones that you don't care to buy, give me a PM if you feel like doing me a favor. What a pairing with warm savory soup on a chilly day. Or, it's a fine companion, two ounces or so keeping away unpleasant thoughts as I sit up sipping it for a long while early in the pre-dawn. The finish reminds me somehow of the jus that comes from a grass-fed, dry-aged Chateaubriand.
  
  (95 pts.)

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  6/25/2014 - sweetstuff Likes this wine: 95 Points

  $60/750 ml; Solera 1830, purchased by Osborne at the time Domecq sherry stores were auctioned off.
  
  Allied Domecq Wines USA, importer. UPC 633438012965. 19 pabv, from a Solera begun 1830. Bottle code LG 072 G1J.
  
  T-Cork; square bottle profile. Color of wine is brown-green and rich.
  
  Scents: Caramel, milk chocolate with mild beaten pepper and a hint of acidity on the nose. Underlain with veal broth and hints of truffles.
  
  Opens in the mouth with tobacco and tremendous skin energy at first; with savory ripe green pepper, Bavarian pretzel crust, and delicate mushroom/veal broth. Plenty of room to grow in the decanter, and shoud be followed there. Seeminglly more potential than the last bottle. A great wine; tremendous harmony, integration, and disciplined power. 95/100 now.
  
  Glue resin and white China tea, with honey scent at 5 days, with a beautiful integration of other aromas. Still has great energy, brothiness, and meat/vegetable/spice melange. Would recommend with hot soup made with beef, venison, game bird, or veal, with a dollop of the wine as an ingredient.
  
  At over a year and a half since opening, and after six months in decanter, I think I begin to get a hint of over-oxidation. Strange how long this took to show. Still repays attention, but no more aging is re(95 pts.) Drink 2014-2044+.
  
  BELOW IS THE RECENT LABEL ON THE SQUARE-PROFILE BOTTLE. IF ANYONE KNOWS WHERE OLDER BOTTLES WITH THE ORIGINAL LABEL FIRST IMPORTED TO THE US CAN BE HAD, PLEASE LET ME KNOW VIA PM!

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  5/20/2014 - coremill wrote:

  Sherry Dinner (Ping's Seafood): Darkest color in the lineup. Rich, brown, syrupy, shows cararmel and salt and cigar smoke, pear and orange, some dill, and cashews. Peaty and rich but lacking the elegance of the best of the other wines on the table.

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  5/19/2014 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 94 Points

  Medium brown. The nose causes a 'wow!' right away: creamy-citrusy, caramel, marzipan, orange peel, smokey. Very bright. Coffee. The palate struck me as somewhat dumb and bitter, but spicy food brought out soaring flavors of citrus sweetness and caramel. Just huge on the palate. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17/20. (Probably a 15.5/20 without the spicy food.)

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