Brandy Maximum 40%, Marqués del Real Tesoro

Appearance

Bright amber tinged gold with golden highlights.

Nose

There is a certain resemblance to Cognac rather than the usual Jerez brandy with its powerful wood and Oloroso/PX character. This is much more subtle and elegant with only gentle background hints of Oloroso butts though there is a slight wood note. Hints of dried fruits like apricot meld with faint traces of honey and blonde tobacco.

Palate

Smooth and mildly fruity with just a hint of sweetness and no discernible tannin. It is like brandy in its natural state without the traditional confections so you can taste the spirit itself and what it is made from, and it is good. It has poise, elegance and charm with a gentle texture and terrific length.

Comments

Marqués del Real Tesoro is part of Grupo Estévez who have been commendably using only their own Palomino grapes for distillation, both for fortification spirit and for brandy, and this is the first brandy release. The firm is one of the biggest vineyard owners and has put increased emphasis on the origins of their products and are aiming for 100% Jerez. Far from being made from lesser grapes, the brandy is made from high quality, low yielding ones, and it takes 5 kilos to make 1 litre. A higher than average proportion of pot still holandas is used and the spirit is aged in ex Oloroso butts for 3 years. In fact it is from the 2014 vintage. The emphasis here is on style and origin, not on tradition or age. No sweetening has been added and no mention of age appears on the label. It is aimed not only at traditional brandy drinkers but also the new, younger drinkers. The quality is extremely high and it is different with its own unique style. Superb.

Price

39.95 per 50cl bottle De Albariza

Oloroso Almirante 18.5%, Marqués del Real Tesoro

Appearance

Bright deep amber mahogany with reddy-coppery tints fading to a trace of green at the rim, legs.

Nose

Just what Oloroso means: fragrant. A full forthcoming and generous aroma bursts out of the glass, characterised by a certain apparent sweetness, traces of cinnamon, candied orange peel, hints of oak and walnuts in syrup, and a slight suspicion of Christmas cake.

Palate

Similar, full and well rounded. It is dry but you'd hardly notice with all that glycerol and flavours of sweet things, especially as there appears to be very little tannin, but it is beautifully balanced nonetheless and has a real charm to it and good length.

Comments

This attractive wine is apparently around 17-18 years old, a very decent age and worthy of 89 Parker points. The wine ages through no fewer than five criaderas plus the solera, which gives it its complexity. The perfect wine to sip while relaxing with a good book in the cooler seasons - but you might drink more than you had intended. I feel the label could be smartened up a little; it looks awfully plain for a wine which is far from plain, in fact it is excellent value.

Price

8.50 -10 Euros in Spain, not available in the UK unfortunately

Fino 15%, Real Tesoro

Appearance
Pretty pale strawy gold, young, legs.
Nose
Hints of Palomino fruit - some primary (of the original grape) aromas mixed with those of flor with a trace of camomile, unusually fruity and floral, touch green but by no means unpleasant - just young.
Palate
Confirms nose, young, slight trace of lime, hint of flor, not at all complex but light, clean and refreshing. Very gluggable! A very pleasant wine whose only crime is to lack age.
Comments
Young fresh and cheap, but good value all the same. This is usually to be found in Mercadona supermarkets who work closely with Grupo Estevez who own Marques del Real Tesoro.
Price
2.89 Euros!!

Fino Tio Mateo 15%, Marques del Real Tesoro

Appearance

Bright pale straw gold with golden highlights.

Nose

Attractive. Lots of flor, touch saline and minerally with a little bitter almond and slight apple notes behind and a distinct yeastiness, very bright, fresh and clean.

Palate

Broadly similar, quite a light style of wine and delightfully bitter what with the flor and almond tones. There's an element of appley Palomino fruit too, so the whole thing balances perfectly.

Comments

A really good refreshing Fino which certainly stimulates the appetite. The wine is made by Grupo Estevez under the name Marques del Real Tesoro, although it was originally made by Palomino & Vergara who were taken over by Harveys, and the brand found its way to Estevez via Allied Domecq and Pernod Ricard. It was the focus of some controversy for a while after the company wanted to put the words "Contains hardly any Histamine" on the label. The CRDO didn't like it, neither did the Andalucian courts, and it was forbidden in 2006. This ruling was overturned in 2009 by the Tribunal Superior. Histamine is a substance found in many fermented products (red wine is full of it - though Sherry is quite low) as well as foods such as cheese, cabbage tuna, tomato. People who have a deficient enzyme in the intestine can get awful headaches among other symptoms. So Jose Estevez came up with some undisclosed way to reduce histamine content in Tio Mateo, known as the Metodo Estevez. Apparently it in no way affects the quality of the wine nor does it contravene any CRDO production rules. Certainly the wine is lovely, and it is a bit over 4 years old. The solera system contains some 2,500 butts with three criaderas plus, of course the solera. The grapes come from both the Macharnudo and Corchuelo pagos.
Price
About 5 euros, widely available