Dry Sack Fino 15%, Williams & Humbert

Appearance
Pale bright golden straw, legs.
Nose
An attractive bitter flor edge to the nose, slightly saline with traces of dried flowers and bitter almond, very dry but with a background hint of palomino fruit. Perfect aperitif wine.
Palate
Good and dry, bitter even, with plenty of flor influence yet still that teasing hint of fruit to balance. Light clean and tight with real powers to give one an appetite, decent acidity and good length. A younger version of Don Zoilo.
Comments
Made from Palomino Fino grapes from the Pago Balbaina in Jerez Superior, the wine goes through 6 criaderas before reaching the solera, and is bottled at a little over 5 years old. One wonders if this is the wine they used to call Pando. It is certainly very good.
Price
Around £10.00    UK importer is Ehrmanns, who can advise on availability

Dry Sack Fino 15%, Williams & Humbert

Appearance
Fairly pale bright light gold with some legs.
Nose
Forthcoming, plenty of flor: green almond, saline bitterness, plenty acataldehyde, trace olive brine and hints of quince, quite dry with a little weight.
Palate
Very dry, very slightly savoury, a little acidity, clean with pungent flor flavours; sourdough, almond, and really quite bitter with a certain tang. This one cries out for tapas - it really makes you hungry!
Comments
A really good Fino made from Balbaina grapes with virtually no residual sugar. Any unfermented sugars are, of course consumed by the yeast, along with glycerine, so Finos are genuinely dry. Try a glass of dry red or white after a glass of Fino, and they will seem positively sweet! Anyway this wine works its way through 6 criaderas, and is drawn from the solera with a minimum age of at least 5 years. That is about the age where complexity starts to make itself felt, and it is certainly noticeable here.
Price
I paid £12.75 at Harrisons Fine Wines in Crieff. UK importer Ehrmanns.