Amontillado 20% Saca 2014, Sacristia AB

Appearance

Remarkably light in colour for its age, golden amber with brassy, almost coppery, tints and a trace of green towards the rim, legs.

Nose

Intense, concentrated and super complex yet elegant and fragrant. Distinctly Sanlúcar notes at first of sea salt, rope, esparto, then that classic Amontillado glyceric sweetness comes through carrying hazelnuts and traces of oak but never losing the maritime notes. There are still traces of autolysis and bitterness which tell of a Manzanilla past yet they are balanced by the glycerine. Raw and exciting despite its age and sophistication.

Palate

Decent acidity, really quite light, salty and very slightly bitter, this is concentrated Manzanilla which probably ran its full course in crianza biologica rather than being fortified to make it turn Amontillado, so strong are the Manzanilla charecteristics. It is so different to the richer sweeter Jerez Amontillado and the oxidative notes give a trace of apple and the expected nuttiness, while present, is subordinated to the sharper wilder Sanlúcar style. Delicious, long and seriously interesting.

Comments

One of only 350 bottles and sealed with a fine quality driven cork and wax. This the first Amontillado from Antonio Barbadillo Mateos' Sacristia AB venture. It comes from the ancient 100 butt (and one bocoy - a larger butt) solera Conde de Aldama, some of the oldest wines anywhere, now housed in the Sanlúcar bodegas of Francisco Yuste, who bought them a while ago, having had not been run for decades, despite having once belonged to both Argüeso and Valdespino. Thanks to Francisco Yuste these soleras are now safe and thanks to Antonio Barbadillo we can now taste this treasure which is around 60 years old and showing no signs of fatigue. It is bottled with no fining or filtration whatsoever, exactly as it was in the solera.

Price

70 Euros per 50 cl. bottle