Sibarita Oloroso VORS 20%, Pedro Domecq

Appearance
Deep burnt umber through mahogany and amber to a yellowy green rim, legs.
Nose
Rich, full, forthcoming and fragrant; hardly any woodiness but traces of sweetness - raisins, a savoury Marmite note, walnuts, leather armchairs, toasted bread. Immaculately clean for a wine which has been oxidising for over 30 years, and very complex, not at all austere.
Palate
Full bodied, powerful, dry, yet a trace of sweetness mollifies the astringency these old wines can have, a hint of toffee, even coffee, a slight fried mushroom and truffle oil note, gamey touches too, phenolic aromas as well as a touch of wood tannin, almost interminable finish. Wonderfully old and complex.
Comments
From a solera laid down by Haurie e Sobrinos in 1792 and acquired by Pedro Domecq in 1822, this is a classic and rare old Sherry. VORS wines all have to prove a minimum of 30 years in solera, but few if any are from soleras of such an age. This is an original Domecq bottling in the square footed bottle, and is probably no longer available, but Osborne now bottle the wines with similar presentation except the foot of the bottle is round. There is almost certainly a touch of PX blended into this wine to round it off and balance out the astringency such old wines can have.
Price
£33.95

Palo Cortado Obispo Gascon 21.5%, Barbadillo

Appearance
Almost pure amber, fading through old gold and yellow to a pale green rim.
Nose
Beautifully crisp and fresh (despite obvious age), extremely aromatic and refined with a sweetish hazelnut tang and traces of creme brulee, dried fig, toasted and sugared almond, bodega, exotic woods, even resin, all wonderfully integrated into a harmonious complexity that one could sniff forever.
Palate
Dry, tangy, textured and quite light (despite strength), lots of toasted hazelnut and almond, some oak, then richer, fatter oloroso touches on finish, but definitely more on the amontillado side. Supremely elegant, long and quite delicious.
Comments

This wine just shows how good the tasters are in Jerez. The difference between a Palo Cortado, Oloroso and Amontillado can be extremely subtle. Just when you think this is more of an Amontillado, you spot Oloroso richness, silkiness on the finish, but less of the Oloroso weight. Help!

This wine is from a solera laid down in 1860 in the Casa de la Cilla composed of already very old wines bought by Pedro Rodriguez from Manuel de Argueso along with other wines from the sacristias of other bodegas. For a long time this solera lay untouched in the bodega Nueva, but now it supplies the wine for the Palo Cortado Reliquia - in minute quantities - and also the VORS and Obispo Gascon, but all from different scales of the solera. This wine is sold at somewhere between 20 and 25 years old.
Price
Around £30-32. Uk agent is Fells