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Tag Archives: sherry

Lustau ‘Solera Reserva’ Pedro Ximenez San Emilio Sherry NV, Andalucia, Spain

18 Thursday May 2023

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spain, dessert wine, 5 stars, 94 points, sherry, jerez, Pedro Jimenez, andalucia


Medium amber/brown colored with high viscosity (17% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of caramel, toasted pecans, prunes, Brazil nuts, desiccated blueberry, dark chocolate ganache, dried figs and cooked chestnut- very complex.  The palate is super sweet with medium acidity and a mouth filling texture, definitely full bodied!  Right off the bat I get dried figs galore.  The pecans, prunes, blueberry, chocolate and caramel all play supporting roles.  The sweetness is on another level- this is a syrupy elixir that needs a bowl of vanilla ice cream to be drizzled onto.  The finish is long and silky on this unctuous beauty that gets 94 points from me and at $30 a bottle it gets 5 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

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Lustau Dry Oloroso Don Nuno Sherry NV, Jerez, Spain

28 Friday Apr 2023

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$30, 4 stars, 91 points, jerez, palomino, sherry, spain


Medium amber, a beautiful hue with high viscosity legs showing off the 20% ABV.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of dried mixed nuts, desiccated plum, raisins, prunes and a salty herbal combo.  The palate is dry with high alcohol and medium (+) acidity.  Full bodied, this wine has loads of rich nutty flavors with dried fruit and a slightly bitter almond note with caramel and umami.  The finish is a touch hot from the alcohol but I get lovely warmth from the heat- picture a mound of warmed nuts and some dried black fruit.  The back end is medium in length and makes me reach for more from the glass.  This wine needs to be chilled and served as an aperitif with some charcuterie along with olives and nuts.  I like this oxidative style of sherry and am giving this $30 offering 91 points.  4 stars.  Salut….

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Lustau Jerez Palo Cortado Peninsula Sherry, Jerez, Spain

08 Wednesday Mar 2023

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$26, 4 stars, 90 points, jerez, palomino, sherry, spain


This is my first Palo Cortado style sherry.  It looks divine- pale amber in the glass.  The nose offers up nuts, yeasty notes from Flor, caramel and toffee with dried orange rind. It has quite a bitter entry with exotic flavors I have never come across.  Dry with medium (+) acidity and a full body, this wine coats my mouth with tangy yeast and nuts with a citrus twist.  It’s unique for sure and offers a glimpse into another style of winemaking that is quite different- google Palo Cortado, you’ll see what I mean.  The fortification of this wine makes it a touch hot on the back end but I am really enjoying the nutty finish with that very singular Flor component.  I paid $26 to get this bottle- it rated 90 with the pros, who am I to argue?  4 stars.  Drink upon opening, Salut….

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Lustau Manzanilla Papirusa Solera Reserva NV, Jerez, Spain

09 Thursday Feb 2023

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$18, 5 stars, 91 points, jerez, manzanilla, palomino, sanlucar de barracuda, sherry, spain


Pale yellow/gold in color with a watery sheen in the glass.  The nose of this Manzanilla is refreshing- like citrus meets sea breeze and biscuit.  There is a slight nuttiness that intermingles with a yeast component after a while in the glass.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and a medium (-) body.  The citrus is neither lemon, nor lime or grapefruit, but it definitely has a citrus note alongside the nutty, yeasty, biscuit driven flavors that have evolved under the yeast blanket called Flor.  The wine finishes long with a salty note alongside the yeast.  This is not a flavor profile for everyone, it’s an acquired taste that begs for tapas, olives or some charcuterie.  I can see why it is so popular in Southwestern Spain by the coast.  I’m drinking it at room temperature, as I normally do when scoring, but it deserves a chilling to freshen it up a touch.  I like it and will go with 91 points.  This 5 star wine runs $18 and should be drunk on purchase.  For tonight, I am will attempt a pairing of shrimp scampi and sautéed zucchini strips with a shredded carrot salad. I think the buttery, garlicky seafood will meld nicely.  This Palomino varietal has been fortified to 15% ABV.  Salut….

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Pedro Rodriguez e Hijos ‘Mil Pesetas’ Pedro Ximenez Sherry NV, Andalucia, Spain

02 Saturday Oct 2021

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$25, 5 stars, 91 points, Pedro Ximenez, sherry, spain


Several months ago I purchased every style of Sherry made by the same producer that I could find- in hopes of expanding my knowledge and palate.  I tried the dry ones, the off dry ones and now we get to the sweet one.  Made from the the Pedro Ximenez grape in the Solera system, it promises to be a lush dessert wine.

In the glass it is amber and weeping, it looks very viscous.  On the nose it is exactly what I was hoping for.  Dried sultanas, walnuts, prunes, coffee, dried cherry, chocolate  and stewed apricot.  The palate is very thick, unctuous and sweet.  Delicious flavors of nuts, dried fruit, honey, gentle acidity make for a very velvety and luxuriously rich mouthfeel.  The sweetness is something to behold.  Low acidity is actually key here as it would be a detractor if there were loads of it.  This is lovely stuff that gets 91 points from me and for the $25/500ml price point it gets 5 stars.  A great dessert wine if you like ’em sweet.  Salut….

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Mil Pesetas Manzanilla Sherry NV, Spain

05 Sunday Sep 2021

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$17, 90 points, palomino, sherry, spain


As part of my wine education I have purchased all the major types of Sherry to try.  It started out with an Amontillado, then I tried Fino and Oloroso.  Now it’s time for a Manzanilla.  This is a dry, fortified white wine that is aged under Flor and is served chilled.

This particular bottling is very pale lemon in the glass and has a nose of green almonds, yeast, baked bread, sea spray and citrus rind.  The palate is quite dry and bitter.  The Flor gives these wines a definitive bread component, yeast and all.  The characteristic flavors of lemon in whites is somewhat muted by the saline and baking notes.  I’m starting to get my head around what a dry sherry is supposed to taste like- certainly not like a sweet Cream Sherry.  It has a nuttiness and it begs for food.  Tapas, cold appetizers and certainly olives are fit for the role.  I can’t even score something I am completely unfamiliar with but I’m enjoying the experience of expanding my palate and slowly getting accustomed to this unique flavor profile.  $17 gets you an intro to a unique taste that the pro’s gave 90 points.  Salut….

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Mil Pesetas Sherry tasting

27 Tuesday Jul 2021

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sherry, spain


My wine course is winding up and we are studying Sherry this week- not my favorite.  I wrote a post about the differences in biological versus oxidative maturation and then I tasted one of each, the notes are below.

Sherry is matured and basically ‘blended’ in a cascading system that uses large oak barrels known as Butts to supply steadily older wines to the bottom rung of the cascade, known as the Solera.  In the Solera System, at least three levels and up to 14 can be used to introduce fresh wine that is being held at the ready in a Sobretabla.  Once the winemaker has drained off some of the ready-to-blend-and-bottle wines from the Solera, he taps off wine from the next level up, called the 1st Criadera to refill what he removed.  The same process happens to this Criadera when the 2nd level Criadera is used to refill it, etc.  The winemaker will never empty a Criadera or the Solera, only taking enough to keep the process going, replenishing the 600 gallon Butts up to about 500 gallons maximum, allowing for extra contact with oxygen which is vital for this aging process.

There are many styles of Sherry, ranging from dry to sweet, made in different manners- oxidatively, biologically or a combination of the two.

Oxidative aging uses the ample volume of air in the partially filled Butts to allow the wine to contact oxygen.  Potentially this can happen over long periods of time as it passes through the various levels of the Solera System.  If it is made from the Palomino grape the resultant wine will show as brown in color and be full bodied with tertiary aromas and flavors of toffee, leather, spice and walnut.  Other styles include Pedro Jimenez (PX), which uses raisined, sweet grapes for the base wine, resulting in a much sweeter product.  Cream Sherry is a blend of Oloroso and the sweet PX.

Biologically aged wines start off at a lower initial alcohol fortification that allows a yeast cap called Flor to develop on the top of the wine which does several things.  Flor prevents oxygen from reaching the wine and adds certain flavors like citrus, almonds and herbs while showing a pale lemon in the glass.  Not made for extended aging, they are served chilled with tapas and should be drunk soon.

Combining some biological aging with oxidative aging gives you Amontillado, which is the first sherry I poured.  I was taken aback by what appeared to be quite a dark and aged wine that had bright flavors of Christmas pudding with brandy butter. Raisins, cooked cherries, walnuts and bitter almond. The palate was not at all what I expected- thin, very little depth of flavor but a touch of acid.  Green un-ripe almonds, bitter citrus and yeast are what I ended up with on the palate. The finish was a touch better with some refreshing bitter lemon notes. This is not my style by any stretch, but I am here to expand my palate, even if I don’t like something!

Mil Pesetas Fino Sherry, Spain 15%ABV. Biologically aged

  • Appearance- Medium lemon, watery legs
  • Nose- medium(+) intensity nose of lemon, blossom, biscuit, bread and cheese. Youthful.
  • Palate- Dry, medium acidity, low alcohol, medium (-) body, medium (+) flavor intensity of lemon peel, bread, bread dough and blossom. Medium (+) finish.
  • Conclusion- Good quality wine to drink now: not suitable for aging or further aging.

Mil Pesetas Oloroso Sherry, Spain 19.5% ABV. Oxidatively aged

  • Appearance- Pale amber with thin legs.
  • Nose- Medium (-) intensity nose of walnut, caramel, toffee, coffee (?) and cooked lemon (?).  Fully developed.
  • Palate- Dry, low acidity, high alcohol, medium (+) body, medium intensity flavors of toffee, caramel, walnut and cooked lemon.  Medium (+) finish.
  • Quality level- very good quality wine that can be drunk now; not suitable for aging or further aging.

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Pedro Rodriguez e Hijos ‘Mil Pesetas’ Amontillado Sherry, Andalucia, Spain

10 Thursday Jun 2021

Posted by caspernick in Wine

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$16, amontillado, palomino, sherry, spain


Moxie and I had a bottle of Cream Sherry recently and really enjoyed it. I then bought six different styles of Sherry made by the same producer to do a cross sectional tasting of the various versions. Keep in mind that this stuff starts out as a white wine. I have had to re-taste it 3 times as it has really confused me.

Pale amber and see through.  Smells like Christmas pudding with brandy butter. Raisins, cooked cherries, walnuts and bitter almond. The palate is not at all what we expected- thin, lacking any tannins, very little depth of flavor but gobs of acid.  Green un-ripe almonds, bitter citrus and yeast are what I get on the palate. The finish is a touch better with some refreshing bitter lemon notes. This is not my style by any stretch, but I am here to expand my palate, even if I don’t like something. I will pass judgment on this $16 bottle (per 500ml). Not sure what I would pair it with either. Salut….

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Harveys Solera Sherry NV, Spain

11 Tuesday May 2021

Posted by caspernick in Wine

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sherry, spain, WSET


It has been 41 years since I last necked some Sherry. Those of you who know me will realize how old/young I was, and you could probably cotton-on to the fact that it was not a good experience. It’s taken this long PLUS an assignment in my wine course to get me to buy and taste a glass of the stuff. I must say, I kinda liked it.

This particular brand is like the Budweiser of Sherry, mass produced, generally okay stuff and cheap enough. My intro back into the world of fortified Spanish wine was easy enough. This wine is rather straightforward and basic. It is tasty without too much complexity and should be served chilled. We missed that part of the equation. I would not even know how to score this wine, but if you are looking for an aperitif- try some….it’s unique and won’t break the bank. You can use the leftovers to make a Lobster bisque! $16 is a nice price to boot. Salut….

Appearance : 

  • Intensity : Light
  • Color : Tawny

Nose : 

  • Intensity : Medium 
  • Aroma characteristics : Primary notes of Orange peel, Fruitcake and raisin.  Tertiary aromas of Caramel and walnut.

Palate : 

  • Sweetness : Medium
  • Acidity : Medium
  • Tannin : Medium 
  • Alcohol : Medium
  • Body : Light
  • Flavor intensity : Light
  • Primary flavors of Fruitcake, raisin, fig.  Tertiary flavors of walnuts.  No secondary flavors detected
  • Finish : short

Conclusions : Quality : Acceptable

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