Thursday 16 April 2015

Oloroso Añada 1968 22%, González Byass

Appearance
Light, bright copper tinted amber topaz fading through yellow to a hint of green at the rim, legs.
Nose
Fresh crisp Oloroso aromas, generous and quite "pretty" for an Oloroso, lots of toasted almonds and wine-soaked American oak with traces of cinnamon, polvoron, earth, marmalade orange peel and a little raisin sweetness rounding things off. Although the alcohol is noticeable, it is a slightly lighter more reserved nose than some, perhaps because it was a more rainy year albeit saved by later sunshine.
Palate
Quite assertively tangy, a definite note of acidity followed by an oaky texture though not especially tannic, lightish on mid palate, still that sweet cinnamon spice and trace of orange, dries a little at the end, but is very long leaving lingering spicy-orangey-almondey memories. This needs food, probably beef, mushrooms, blue cheese. Seriously interesting wine.
Comments
From 100% Jerez Superior Palomino grapes harvested in 1968. This wine was sealed in a butt and effectively left to its own devices until 1999 when it was pronounced to be an Oloroso with some 31 years of age. It was filled by hand into dark "Jerezana" style bottles of a style used in the mid XIX century and sealed with red wax over a driven cork. This was bottle number 117 of 432. By my calculations the merma (loss through transpiration) is about 35%. Interestingly, this wine has not only had 31 years in wood, but also 15 years more ageing in bottle, something which was allowed for by using a driven cork and wax seal, and something which has certainly improved an already superb wine. (See post on Añada Sherries)
Price
A very reasonable £85 from Raeburn Fine Wines, Edinburgh.


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