Appearance
Very dark blacky chestnut/mahogany with burnished copper/gold reflections, viscous, with trace of green at rim,looks ancient.
Nose
Intense concentrated moscatel aroma and a touch of oak yet a hint of crisp freshness really carries it through. It has beautiful citrus notes with traces of spice and coffee all deeply integrated. It is in a different league to most others by its sheer intensity and seductiveness. The oldest Moscatel in Jerez.
Palate
Full, concentrated, intensely sweet, bursting with that complex mix of raisined moscatel, oxidation and wood that only time can achieve. Intensely flavoured, textured, viscous, tangy and lingers for ages on the palate, practically forever. It is so complex, balanced and delicious you barely notice the sweetness. Quite exquisite.
Comments
This must be the oldest moscatel around. It is at least 80 years old. Moscatel has never been a particularly important wine in Jerez, but this one is! It merits 97 Penin points and 100 Parker. In my view it is an honour to have been able to taste it, especially given the tiny quantities available. I tasted it from the solera - of just one tonel, a 1000 litre butt - which is sealed with a padlock! The Toneles criaderas are refreshed from the Promesa solera and the wine has a sugar content of 420 g/l balanced by a refreshing 10g/l total acidity. The grapes are from Chipiona and the solera, which totals 31 toneles, was established in the early XIX century. In the Valdespino days the solera was stored at the Bodega Grande in Calle Ponce and the wine was very rarely sold. Since Grupo Estevez bought the firm and the wine received such high praise from the critics, a total of 350 bottles were released annually. As demand grew, this was changed to half bottles.
Price
Really it is priceless, but Vilaviniteca in Spain have it at the best price - 110 euros for a half bottle. It can also be bought from Slurp in the UK - at £280 for a 75cl bottle
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