Cream VOS 18.5%, Bodegas Tradición

Appearance
Copper-tinged light amber fading through yellow with the slightest trace of green at the rim, long slow legs
Nose

Fresh and vivacious, the old Oloroso is immediately apparent with its open-textured friendliness and generosity and then the PX comes in with its raisin, date and fig notes to join the party. There is complexity here with traces of wood, cinnamon, tangy Oxford marmalade, walnut, Madeira cake and hints of Demerara sugar. The most striking thing is the perfect balance of dry and sweet. Gorgeous.

Palate

Fresh and slightly tangy with the Oloroso carrying the PX – not the other way round. There is plenty of juicy raisiny PX fruit assisted by that tanginess giving a lively character which matches the sheer class of the Oloroso beautifully. Long and lingering…lovely!

Comments
This is unusual in a few respects. Firstly it is probably the first Cream Sherry to have the VOS (20 years) age certification - in fact it has an average age of 25 years. Secondly it is a style the bodega had not really intended to produce, and it was not mentioned on their website until fairly recently . They refer to it privately as their little "perversion". Thirdly it is the best Cream Sherry one can buy. Cream is not regarded as a serious Sherry by connoisseurs, rather it is a wine for the masses, but when made as well as this, it is definitely a serious wine. This is was bottle 2,378 of 3,000 released in 2013 and consists of 70% extremely old Oloroso (possibly an XVIII century solera and over 35 years old if not 45) and 30% younger PX, and the grip conferred on the Oloroso by age balances the sweetness beautifully. Fortnum and Mason in London sell the wine in half bottles under their own label - in fact they sell a lot of Tradición wine that way, and much is sold in Germany.

Price
Around £ 40.00 UK agent McKinley Vintners