Tuesday 26 April 2016

La Raza Oloroso Viejo Abocado 19%, Pedro Domecq

Appearance
Deep almost dense blacky walnut brown fading to amber at a tight rim, legs.
Nose
Fairly tight nose with PX fruit and pipe tobacco and some texture with full bodied Oloroso behind, traces of dried fig, raisin, oak, cinder toffee and walnut. Not overtly sweet but deep and really quite complex and serious. Up market Cream, one might say.
Palate
Medium-sweet, full bodied, almost powerful, and beautifully integrated, still tight and the sweetness wears off a little letting the Oloroso shine through leaving a comparatively dry and very long finish with a decent texture. As the back label says, this is a very special wine for sublime moments, but I think this wine makes those moments sublime. A Classic.
Comments
What a treat to obtain an original Domecq bottling of a wine no longer made! La Raza means "the race" and was a celebration of the cultural richness forged by the fusion of races following the discovery of the New World. The solera was established in 1892 in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas and consisted of a blend of old Oloroso and old PX. These wines were already old in 1892 and ageing as a blend is always better so this wine has great homogeneity and class. It was first released in 1929, under the name "Vino de la Raza" on the 12th October, the Dia de la Hispanidad ("Day of Spanishness"), to celebrate the famous Exposición Iberoamericana in Sevilla, for which great and beautiful buildings were constructed such as the famous Plaza de España and the Parque María Luisa. The wine's label is no longer legal as "Oloroso Abocado" is not now permitted, but the word "Cream" would suffice now. The name Pernod Ricard appears on the back label so this was probably bottled post 2005.
Price
14.75 euros from Licores Corredera




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