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Mil Pesetas Sherry tasting

27 Tuesday Jul 2021

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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.

Vega Sicilia ‘Pintia’ 2015, Toro, Spain

11 Sunday Jul 2021

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This was the last bottle of our 19th Virtual Wine Tasting. Intense purple in the glass- this wine had a rustic nose with earth, barnyard, dill, dried herbs, blackberry, cedar and dark fruit jam. On the palate the group got toasted marshmallow, jam, Angostura Bitters (?), blackberry, black cherry, cedar and dusty earth. My initial reaction was that this wine was yummy and very smooth. It is very balanced and the tannins are so fine grained it gives a beautiful mouthfeel. Richness and complexity galore make this an excellent wine that gets 94 points from me. At $60 it’s a pricy one for sure, but worth every drop. 5 stars. Drink till 2030 with grilled lamb, shish kebabs or pasta. Stunning Tempranillo and one of the best we have had in our tasting group IMHO. Salut….

Bodegas Balbas Ardal Seleccion Especial Reserva 2010 revisited, Ribera del Duero, Spain

27 Sunday Jun 2021

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I have had this wine before and raved about it. Now, three years later, it has evolved- still amazing, yet different. I love it when the label tells you exactly what’s going on here, 80% Tempranillo, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in French oak for 24 months. This wine runs a hefty 14.5% alcohol by volume. It is pale ruby in the glass but I was expecting a little more opaqueness. The nose is gorgeous. Luscious oak, blackberry, black currant, cinnamon, tobacco, cedar and a whiff of heat. The legs are literally falling down the sides of the glass. The palate is stunning- rich fruit enveloped in copious yet refined oak, aged beautifully with tertiary notes starting to come through whilst the primary fruit and secondary notes are still very much in force. The spiciness of this wine replaces the usual dusty component that I get from Spanish Reservas. I’m not upset as I love this flavor profile. At 11 years of age it is still young and promises to last another 10 to 15 years. It will develop nicely and gain more tertiary notes with time. Punctuated acidity is going to hold the wine really well as are the very well integrated tannins. I’m loving it. 93 points at the very least. For $20, it’s a steal worthy of 5 stars. Salut….

Marques de Caceres Crianza 2007, Rioja DOCa, Spain

20 Sunday Jun 2021

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If you read my previous post on the Guillaume Pinot Noir, this Rioja is the second bottle we tasted. Like the Pinot, this one has suffered some severe cork damage to the point where I had to drain the wine through a hole in the middle of the cork and filter it into a decanter. Having said that it’s drinking beautifully and is full of tertiary flavors with a little bit of primal fruit left alongside fully melded tannins. Leather, game, steeped plum and cinnamon stick are all present. Typical for Rioja Tempranillo this one has a dusty component to go alongside the flavors of dried fruit and sage. I love Crianza’s from Spain, the oak influence is always well done and delicious. This brand is always consistent with a good reason; decently priced wines that apparently have good cellaring capacity even if stored incorrectly. 90 points for this $12 bottle make it an absolute steal. Salut….

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

10 Thursday Jun 2021

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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….

Viña Mayor Reserva 2013, Ribera del Duero, Spain

08 Tuesday Jun 2021

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I was in my local wine shop the other day and came across this aged Tempranillo in the clearance section- for $ 23. I couldn’t pass it up, a Reserva FFS. In the glass it is slightly hazy, but a deep shade of ruby that I can barely see through. The nose is classic Spain- brambly with ink, huckleberry, sweet blackberry, smoky oak and a dusty component. The palate is a touch dry right off the bat, the tannins never got the message to settle down after 8 years. It’s a full onslaught, drying the gums and overpowering the fruit initially. I finally work my way through the astringent quagmire and start to enjoy the black and blue fruits. The tertiary notes are starting to appear with some leather, charcoal and black tea developing on the mid palate. The finish is a really dry affair with the tannic grip almost too much. I pity the fool who doesn’t like ’em dry. There is a decent acidic component but it is overcome by the tannic structure, a little out of balance methinks. This medium weight wine will pair (begs for) a fatty cut of meat, think Ribeye or Lamb chops. I would consider cellaring some for a while to allow the wine to mature even more, say till 2028. Right now the balance concerns me a bit and it will detract from the scoring, I would hope it softens over time. 89 points and 3 stars. Salut….

Beronia Reserva 2015, Rioja DOCa, Spain

29 Saturday May 2021

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Last up at the virtual wine tasting #18 was this Tempranillo. In the glass it is mostly opaque and a dark claret in color. The nose was a bit of a shocker to us…. figs, dried fruit, mulberry. It was port-like and not very fresh and inviting. On the palate it was gamy with vanilla, dried sage, cedar, bramble, dried fruit and ‘Plummy potpourri’ from one of the group. The wine has slight tannins and low acidity. It was a bit of a disappointment to me and I gave it a scant 13 points on our 20 point scoring sheet. Technically speaking, it got 89 points from me, and at $17 it is worthy of 3 stars. But wait…… I re-tasted it after a while and upped my score to 15+. It grew on me and the funkiness dissipated somewhat, allowing more fruit to come out versus tertiary notes. It is fully mature at this stage and needs to be drunk asap, but I’m not sure of pairings. The flavor profile is very advanced and not what I would want to drink with dinner. An interesting wine for sure compared to the ’04 Beronia I loved. Salut….

CVNE Selección de Fincas 2016, Ribera del Duero, Spain

13 Thursday May 2021

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This 100% Tempranillo is a pretty shade of purple and semi opaque in the glass. The noise gives me rich blueberry, cherry and telltale Spanish earth. The palate has got a nice jab of licorice to go with the dark blue flavor profile. Judicious oak is evident here, which I kinda like and expect from the region. Tannins are well integrated in this 6 year old wine but the acidity is mouth watering. The mid palate is all about it and the finish is as well. The fruit flavors get darker as I transition to the mid length finish. The body is medium and the mouthfeel is quite tart. I find it a touch out of balance, lacking tannins to overcome the acidity, or at least more fruit to give it flavor. It got a decent score from the pros but I am going with 88 points. I picked it up for $15, worth a try but it garners 3 stars from me. Drink till 2025. Salut….

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Dominio de Pingus Psi 2018, Ribera del Duero, Spain

11 Tuesday May 2021

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The last and best wine of the night at our 17th Virtual Wine tasting was this Spanish gem from a famous winery. It is predominantly Tempranillo but they added some Garnacha to the blend. It is a rich purple color that is nearly opaque in the glass. The tasters noted Oregano, funk, pepper, earth, dried plum, green olives, white pepper and a minerality from slate on the nose. The palate gave us that stone hint, coffee, tobacco, black tea, blackcurrant, black cherry, dried fig and blueberry. I noted the wine was quite acidic and others mentioned it as not being overly tannic. A medium finish was enjoyed by all. I feel this wine has already started to display tertiary notes and will mature nicely over the next few years. It is not a blockbuster but we all thoroughly enjoyed it. It gets 91 points from me which jibes with the pros and at $30, its a decent drop that’s a 5 star effort in my books. Salut….

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Harveys Solera Sherry NV, Spain

11 Tuesday May 2021

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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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