Wednesday 16 May 2018

Oloroso Alfonso 1/6 22% Vinos Finitos, González Byass

Appearance
Bright antique polished chestnut fading to amber, old gold highlights, trace of green at the rim.
Nose
Very fragrant and open with attractive and creamy notes of butterscotch, garrapiñadas (almonds cooked in caramel), turrón and toffee. There are also hints of walnut and the slightest traces of cinnamon, orange peel and sandalwood. It is slightly unusual with all that butterscotch but delightful with that gentle sweet note, and in the background the more usual, slightly firmer traces of oak.
Palate
Starts full and crisp but soon broadens out into an open textured wine which seems fairly light yet has great presence and a gentle tang of volatile acidity. There are notes of caramel, butter, faint hints of warm spices and a firm but not over obvious structure, with unobtrusive tannins. It is clearly an old wine but at its prime and absolutely charming.
Comments
This is the newest release from González Byass and is the first of a forthcoming range called Vinos Finitos. This is a play on words as "vino finito" means a fine little wine, or even a Fino, but also a finite one and also that their age is (well reasonably) infinite being very old. Almost forgotten, but not completely. This wine originally came from a solera which for many years refreshed the standard Alfonso solera, but over the years a capataz had separated out 6 particularly good butts and left them up to their own devices. Only one of these has been selected for bottling by the firm’s oenologist Antonio Flores “with his nose and with his heart”. The bodega describes the wine as a “vino de pañuelo” (a wine so aromatic a gentleman would apply a few drops to the handkerchief in his breast pocket instead of using aftershave) and ideal for meditative sipping. It has an average age of over 40 years and the saca consists of  965 x 50cl numbered bottles. Annoyingly hard wax which flies everywhere was used to seal the cork, but still, it is a cracking wine.
Price
99.95 per 50cl, Licores Corredera

 

No comments:

Post a Comment