Very, very corked. Bah.

Quite different from the CV. This is a little less reductive and brighter, with a texture that is a little more racy and acid-driven than the slightly oily CV. Not quite the same amount of concentration, but this is lighter and more easy-going than its more well-known sibling. A fantastic wine, but I did prefer the other today.

This has got to be one of the best Spanish whites in the market these days (I'm curious to hear other contenders). It's slightly reductive and coiled upon opening, but hours of air definitely loosen up the taut structure here. Slightly oily in texture, presumably owing to the general intensity of this, there's intense extract and complexity on the palate. A balanced amount of acidity to go with all the material, too. I keep asking myself, why don't I buy more of this?

I didn't get this at all. As a grappa it was a little low in alcohol and too sweet, with a slightly medicinal quality (and this wasn't even the Licor de Herbas). Not my cup of tea -- just pretty weird stuff altogether.

It's pretty clear the relation to the Orujo de Galicia, but the herbal infusion here had far too much licorice for me to really enjoy. Reminds me slightly of sambuca, really, and again that sweetness from the Orujo is in fact amplified by the addition of sugar. Maybe I could down a thimble at the end of a meal, but again, I just didn't get this at all.

Drinks like a white Burgundy far above its price point. Very bright, with just a moderate hint of reduction. Great acidity, and even if there isn't too much fruit, there's plenty to like here in terms of the minerally structure and brightness. A mindblowingly great value.

Super reductive, but this is pretty much grown on a volcano, so it might actually be excusable. Honestly, this somehow seemed to get more reductive with air. But if you overlook that, this is a saline, minerally white wine with bracing acidity and a fair bit of complexity too. Very compelling stuff.

Way too cloudy and fuzzy to be right for a fino. Also, there was definitely a furry black scoby living in the bottom of the bottle. Really weird stuff -- none of the salinity and freshness I associate with fino; some oxidative, and dare I say natty notes here. Headscratching stuff, but I didn't enjoy it.

From half-bottle. Seriously, this stuff is $20?! Incredibly rich and complex for a wine of this price -- probably the best value I could possibly imagine in wine. This is inordinately complex for the price -- intense notes of sotolon and saline, both on the nose and palate. By far my favourite fino and probably a house wine from now on. Drink a glass, throw a glass into whatever you're cooking... the possibilities are endless. If it sounds like I'm gushing, you understand my enthusiasm about this.

From half-bottle. My second favourite after the Valdespino Inocente. Very light and lifted in style; quite bright with a little bit of smoke and plenty of saline elements. A nice vein of acidity to keep this fresh as well.

From half-bottle. I thought this was fairly good, but it was a little duller than the La Cigarrera and not quite as intense and complex as the Valdespino. That said, this was still brilliantly fresh with a lovely acid backbone.

From half-bottle. Not quite as intense as the Coliseo, this is a more aromatically lifted and elegant Amontillado. Nutty, with just a hint of sotolon on the nose (it seems to show a little more on the palate). Racy and very high in acid, this seems to be an almost natural extension of the fino. the house style, based on my limited experience of the two wines today, seems to be one of exceptional elegance. Colour me a fan.

From half-bottle. Very high-toned with an almond/aldehyde thing, coupled with some sweet orange peel notes on the nose. Not very saline; this has more of a tart citrus peel note that's pretty intense. Overall this bottle feels like the acidity is slightly out of balance; it's too intense and prominent, and there's a slight bit of heat on the finish as well. A good wine, but not quite at the heights of the other Valdespino VORS, at least today.

From half-bottle. Surprisingly light for an Oloroso (this was the thinnest and lightest of the three dry VORS). The nose is again quite high-toned with plenty of aldehydic elements, but also a fairly prominent sotolon note, as well as some elements that remind me of fennel seed. More nuts than dried fruit here. The palate has a very slight tinge of sweetness but mostly it feels far racier and thinner in texture than the Coliseo or Cardenal. The acidity is more balanced and the slight sweetness does help round out the sharp edges. But I would have probably expected a little more weight here.

From half-bottle. A slight note of Sharpie marker, but the most dominant note here is raisins. Underneath that, there are other intense sweet notes of dried figs and dates. Almost treacly, this has lots of fruity complexity on the palate, even if it is all dried fruits, including dates, figs, prunes, and apricots. The finish has a slight bitter tinge that actually helps to balance out the sweetness. Fantastic intensity.

From half-bottle. Readily outclasses the VORS bunch, even though this doesn't have that legal designation. An incredibly complex and rich nose with a prominent dose of wood (somehow) and plenty of the archetypal dried fruit aromas. Sweet and intense, with a slight Christmas cake note as well. On the palate, this is incredibly thick and sweet, with a lift from the intense acidity and counterbalanced by both the alcohol and some phenolic bitterness. Probably one of the most complex wines I've ever tasted, this is truly a glorious wine and the stuff of legends.