Appearance
Old gold, faintest trace amber, legs.
Nose
Quite young, still saline traces of flor, touches of hazelnuts and almonds, well rounded with an attractive hint of bitterness, traces linseed oil and the slightest hint of honey.
Palate
Dry but not austere, tangy, quite light and young but has some complexity, a sort of bitter hazelnut praline along with the salinity from the flor and a slight memory of yeast autolysis, quite gentle and very elegant.
Comments
Somewhere between 10 and 12 years old when tasted but now stated as being 12 on the label, this is really a Fino-Amontillado, using Tio Pepe as the base wine which is transferred to a specific 700 butt solera. The term Fino-Amontillado is no longer permitted. The name of the wine originates in the name of a vineyard which was one of the first bought by Manuel Maria Gonzalez from an almacenista called Andres Botaina (AB). Manuel Maria and Pedro Domecq jointly bought this XIX century solera and Gonzalez Byass eventually bottled all of theirs in the 1960s and sold it as part of a "Soleras Exclusivas" range at auction in London in the 1970s. That, obviously, was the end of the solera, and what we have now is not related to it, except by name. It is a very useful style which is
dry but not aggressively so, perfect for a multitude of palates and for those new to Sherry. Best served
slightly chilled, but warmer than a Fino, it goes beautifully with all sorts of tapas.
Price
About £12.50 from Oddbins
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