Clearly the weakest for me of the three finos on the table, but still quite nice. Pure almond, mint, some slight fishiness/oceany qualities, lighter on the palate with lots of acid. Not as interesting as the others.
Rich and deep on the nose for fino, with a funky quality almost like something rotting, except not in a bad way. There's lots of moss and foresty aromas, at times some dessert sand notes, incredibly complex. The palate is bracing and salty and rocky and savory but with a buttery richness. With air this becomes cleaner and more open, showing some lime fruit character and cucumber flavor. Really good.
At first deep and beautiful aromas of lime and lemon, stone, earth, flowers, and chamomile tea, with air picking up lots of cigarette ash, preserved orange, dill, shrimp, and lots of briny olive. Quite dry, with lots of dill/olive flavor and smoke, dominated at first by acid but it fills out with air while staying briney and shellfishy.
Spain, Andalucía, Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda
The brightest and fruitiest of all the wines on the table, showing dried apricots, preserved lemons, cinnamon and apple. There's a touch of cigarette smoke and a gamebird-esque meatiness. Rounder with the acidity more integrated, softer and less bracing than any of the finos.
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.
Much darker color than the finos. Lovely nose shows caramel, baking spice, smoke, someone makes a joking reference to scotch but this actually does remind me a bit of really high-end scotch. This shows a fair bit of creamy sweetness on the attack but becomes drier and saltier and woodier through the midpalate, reminiscent of good salted caramels. Of the two olorosos, I preferred the nose on the Tradicion 1970 but the palate impression here.
Gorgeous nose of orange peel, herbs, anchovy, and cream. On the palate the alcohol and acid stick out a tad and this just slightly lacks balance. It became a bit better integrated with air but still couldn't match the nose.
NV Bodegas Tradición Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Fino Tradición
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Clearly the weakest for me of the three finos on the table, but still quite nice. Pure almond, mint, some slight fishiness/oceany qualities, lighter on the palate with lots of acid. Not as interesting as the others.
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NV Emilio Hidalgo Fino Especial "La Panesa"
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Rich and deep on the nose for fino, with a funky quality almost like something rotting, except not in a bad way. There's lots of moss and foresty aromas, at times some dessert sand notes, incredibly complex. The palate is bracing and salty and rocky and savory but with a buttery richness. With air this becomes cleaner and more open, showing some lime fruit character and cucumber flavor. Really good.
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NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino 45 "que va para Amontillado"
Spain, Andalucía, Montilla-Moriles
At first deep and beautiful aromas of lime and lemon, stone, earth, flowers, and chamomile tea, with air picking up lots of cigarette ash, preserved orange, dill, shrimp, and lots of briny olive. Quite dry, with lots of dill/olive flavor and smoke, dominated at first by acid but it fills out with air while staying briney and shellfishy.
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NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada 30 1/15
Spain, Andalucía, Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda
The brightest and fruitiest of all the wines on the table, showing dried apricots, preserved lemons, cinnamon and apple. There's a touch of cigarette smoke and a gamebird-esque meatiness. Rounder with the acidity more integrated, softer and less bracing than any of the finos.
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NV Casa Pedro Domecq Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Amontillado 51-1a Solera 1830 30 Years Old
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
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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1964 Gonzalez-Byass Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Oloroso Vintage
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Much darker color than the finos. Lovely nose shows caramel, baking spice, smoke, someone makes a joking reference to scotch but this actually does remind me a bit of really high-end scotch. This shows a fair bit of creamy sweetness on the attack but becomes drier and saltier and woodier through the midpalate, reminiscent of good salted caramels. Of the two olorosos, I preferred the nose on the Tradicion 1970 but the palate impression here.
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1970 Bodegas Tradición Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Oloroso Anada
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Gorgeous nose of orange peel, herbs, anchovy, and cream. On the palate the alcohol and acid stick out a tad and this just slightly lacks balance. It became a bit better integrated with air but still couldn't match the nose.
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