Brandy Solera Gran Reserva 40%, Emilio Lustau

Appearance

Fairly deep mahogany fading to amber with coppery gold glints and a faint trace of green at the rim.

Nose

Full, rich and well rounded. It is complex with hints of walnut, vanilla, turrón, a slight nuance of orange peel and even one of "burnt wine", caramel, toffee and faint notes of Oloroso, rancio and oak, all beautifully integrated into a soft yet imposing aroma.

Palate

Full and almost velvety smooth, this brandy has class. Naturally the sugar content helps with smoothness, but the finish is almost completely dry, and very long. There are hints of walnuts, raisins, dates, toffee, carob and almond paste which all balance nicely with the alcohol. Classic Brandy de Jerez with no rough edges and plenty of character.

Comments

What Lustau do they do well, and this brandy is no exception. It is aged in very old, well-seasoned American oak Oloroso butts for an average of over ten years in the bodegas in Calle Arcos. It is made from 100% holandas and interestingly, it contains 25g/l "residual" sugar, which - though this a fairly high quantity - is not particularly  noticeable. Emilio Lustau only started producing brandy as late as the 1940s but have managed to produce an excellent range since then; just 4 brandies, but good ones.

Price

26.50, Licores Corredera

Quick! International Sherry Week Starts on 8th October

With only a week to go till the start of the 5th International Sherry Week, there is still just time to organise an event, but hopefully you have already. Alternatively you could join in with other events, but get your skates on! It could be marrying Sherry with food, Sherry and tapas, Sherry cocktails, Sherry tastings, lectures from Sherry Educators – anything, as long as it involves Sherry! If you need inspiration, look at the website which is packed with ideas; registration is free and they´ll send you promotional material. The best event will win 1,000 € of Sherry. If you can´t participate officially – participate unofficially! Just buy a good bottle of Sherry and enjoy it peacefully at home while you contemplate the skill and love that went into producing it. ¡Salud!

The website is https://www.sherry.wine/es/sherryweek

 

28.9.18 New Label for Manzanilla La Goya

In celebration of the centenary of its iconic brand, Delgado Zuleta, established in 1744, has introduced a smart new label design. Included is the seal of the royal household to which the firm is an oficial supplier. In fact La Goya was one of the wines served at the wedding of King Felipe VI and Doña Letizia. It is most popular in Spain with annual sales of some 10,000 cases, while in the export markets a few thousand more are sold in no fewer than 24 countries. The brand was first registered in 1914 by then president of the firm Tomás Delgado Ñudi, but he had to wait four years for the permission of the hugely popular singer Aurora Purificación Mañanós Jauffret to use her stage name of La Goya. She spent many periods of rest with him and his family in Sanlúcar, no doubt enjoying his Manzanilla. In those days most of the wine was sold in bulk and it wasn´t until the 1960s that it was bottled in quantity. The wine has an average  age of seven years.

Palo Cortado Horizontal 2018 20%, Las Botas

Appearance

Mid to deep patinated mahogany fading through copper glinted amber to a trace of green at the rim.

Nose

Impressive, crisp and finely honed as only an old wine can be, yet it is amazingly lively and fresh, and extremely expressive. It is very complex yet still allows one to pick up on some of those nuances which have combined to form its beautiful bouquet. There are toasted almonds and hazelnuts, traces of tangy dried fruits and American oak, noticeable volatile acidity-yet it balances well, and a certain slightly fruity element which gives it immense charm.

Palate

Full and delightfully crisp and focused on entry, it gradually opens out and softens on the palate giving off a cornucopia of subtleties. There is a trace of glyceric sweetness which is balanced out by that volatile acidity, and there is very little aggressive tannin for a wine of this age, giving it a most delightful crisp smoothness. It is classic Palo Cortado: neither Amontillado nor Oloroso yet with properties of both. It is complex yet friendly with terrific length. A real beauty.

Comments

This is the second Palo Cortado release from Las Botas, a brand belonging to wine merchants Balandro Vinos in Sevilla who seek out the very best and bottle small parcels under their own label. They were only established in 2015 but have already made quite an impact by selecting some outstanding wines. This beauty comes from the bodegas of Manuel Aragón, based in Chiclana in the production zone. 12 arrobas each (not an insignificant quantity) were drawn from 2 selected "bocoyes", numbers 2 and 9, of the 12 in the bodega Los Toreros (bocoyes are barrels which are slightly larger and fatter than the normal butt) and blended together. The wine is somewhere between 35 and 50 years old and was classified as Palo Cortado in its first year of life. 768 x 50cl bottles were filled, en rama, naturally. Wine bottled by Equipo Navazos from the same solera scored 98 Parker points (La Bota 62), so there can be no doubting the wine's outstanding quality.

Price

31.50 per 50cl, Licores Corredera

26.9.18 Good New Bar in Sanlúcar

Sommelier and Sanluqueño Juan Antonio Portales González has opened a bar at the central location of Calle Trasbolsa, 2, just beside the Plaza Los Cisnes in Sanlúcar. It is called Vara y Pulgar, (a traditional type of vine training system), and he has a brilliant range of around 100 wines, 80% of which are Sherries, and all are available by the glass. A wide range of tapas and home-made dishes specialising in Sanlúcar produce is available and he is happy to do tastings and food matching tastings. There is an intimate and friendly atmosphere and Juan Antonio is more than happy to discuss all the wines.