Tag Archives: spain

Osborne Cream Sherry NV, Jerez, Spain

19 Friday Jan 2024

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Cream sherry is made by adding a sweet sherry like Pedro Ximenez to the base Oloroso sherry- itself an oxidatively aged wine made from Palomino grapes.  As such the wine has a much darker hue than a pale or medium sherry.  This one is a gorgeous pale amber with orange highlights and high viscosity (17% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of caramel, burnt sugar, walnuts, Brazil nuts and figs.  The palate is off-dry to sweet with medium (+) acidity and a full body.   Layers of burnt sugar, caramel and nuts with some ripe fig nuances lead to a medium length finish.  It’s a nice drop to enjoy as an aperitif but it would certainly hold its own postprandial.  I paid $15 but it’s available for $11 online, which makes it a steal.  88 points from me- 5 stars.  Salut….

Osborne Medium Sherry NV, Andalucia, Spain

17 Wednesday Jan 2024

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Pale amber colored with high viscosity (17% ABV).  The nose of this sherry has medium intensity aromas of nuts, green almonds, a touch of yeast, seaspray and burnt sugar.  The palate is off-dry with high acidity and a full body.  Medium intensity flavors of warmed cashews, green almonds, caramel, yeast and caramel/burnt sugar carry throughout to a long finish that has a bit of lingering heat.  It’s a tasty drop for sure that could use chilling (I’m tasting at room temp btw).  In case you missed it- Medium Sherry is an Amontillado (partial Biological age then Oxidatively aged) base wine that is sweetened to between 5-115 g/l of sugar.  I like it and think it deserves 89 points.  For $13 it gets 4 stars.  Salut….

Bodegas Mas Alta Cirerets 2020, Priorat DOCa, Spain

06 Saturday Jan 2024

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For the third wine of the tasting we opened this Grenache/Carignan blend from Priorat.  I was excited for this wine and it did not disappoint.  Medium ruby colored with high viscosity (15.5% ABV).  The nose had medium (+) intensity aromas of game, smoke, musk, black cherry, black pepper, leather, blackberry, anise and was a touch jammy.  Very interesting and earthy/meaty.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, medium  (-) tannins and a full body.  Not quite as jammy on the palate it still showed its gamy side with dark fruit and leather supporting.  It turned a bit dusty and the tannins seemed very powdery on the mid palate.  An ethereal sensation imho.  The long finish closed out this $40 wine that garnered 17 points on our tasting sheet and a technical score of 93 making it a 5 star effort.  I would drink this beauty till 2030 with some lighter meat dishes or even a roast duck.  Salut….

Osborne Fino Sherry NV, Jerez, Spain

03 Wednesday Jan 2024

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Medium lemon colored with high viscosity (15% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of green almonds, baked sourdough, lemon pith, yeast, saline and petrichor.  The palate is dry with high acidity and a full body.  Flavors of almonds, bread, yeast and some citrus are evident along with tangy salt and wet stone notes.  The finish is long and a touch hot from the lingering alcohol but I’m enjoying the balance of heat and tangy flavors.  A very enjoyable aperitif to drink now- it cost me $16 and gets 89 points making it a 4 star effort.  Best paired with nuts or a charcuterie board.  Salut….

Tesoro de Bullas Monastrell 2019, Bullas, Spain

05 Tuesday Dec 2023

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Deep, dark ruby with high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose of this Monastrell aka Mourvèdre, aka Mataro has medium (+) intensity aromas of game, violets, black cherry, pine needles, blackberry tart and black currants.  The palate is dry with high acidity and medium tannins.  A full body carries the ripe dark berries and gamy notes.  I get a touch of the floral violets but no pine needles.  It finishes medium (-) in length but has a nice closing.  It’s a pretty nice presentation of this grape varietal that is normally blended as in ‘GSM’.  I like it and think it’s worthy of 90 points.   For $14 it gets 5 stars.  I’m pairing it with roasted Duck and gratin potatoes.  Drink till 2027.  Salut….

Gonzalez Byass Leonor Palo Cortado Sherry 12 Anos NV, Andalucia, Spain

22 Wednesday Nov 2023

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Pale amber/gold colored with high viscosity (20% ABV).  The color is specatucualr btw, hard to describe.  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of warm nuts, yeasty dough, preserved lemon, dried plum, brine, Christmas cake and dried orange peel.  The palate is slightly off-dry but the acidity is high and the body is full.  Dried fruit, warm nuts, yeasty notes and a citrus twist are all present.  The high alcohol hits the back of my throat a touch but blows off rather quickly.  The finish is medium to long and concentrates on the desiccated fruit and salty yeast notes I got on the opening.  This aperitif begs for some olives, charcuterie and warmed almonds.  It’s delicious and gets 92 points from me.  At $17 for 375ml, it gets 5 stars.  Salut….

Torres Coronas Tempranillo 2016, Catalunya, Spain

19 Sunday Nov 2023

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity legs in the glass (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of blackberry, dusty bramble, oaky spice, vanilla, leather, dill and desiccated plum.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are fully melded into this medium bodied wine.   I get flavors of blackberry, bramble, a dusty component, leather and well integrated oak nuance.  This is a very smooth wine with a lovely mouthfeel that lasts for a short to medium finish.  It’s at peak now and will go nicely with lighter meat dishes as the flavors are not as pronounced as the nose.  I paid $12 as it was a bin-end, available for $15 online.  It gets 88 points from me and 4 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

Osborne Manzanilla Sherry NV, Spain

31 Tuesday Oct 2023

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Pale lemon with pink highlights and medium viscosity (15% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of yeasty bread, preserved lemon, dill, green almond and sea spray.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a full body.  The intensity of the flavors is medium (+) and features the bready notes I got on the nose along with bitter green almond, some citrus and herbal hints.  It finishes long and a touch astringent but it’s delightful.  A delicious aperitif that gets 90 points from me and at $16- 5 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

Aldi Specially Selected Reserve 2018, Rioja, Spain

09 Monday Oct 2023

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose is earthy with dried plum, black berry, vanilla, dust, graphite and aloe.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that are pretty smooth.  The medium weight body carries the oak laced dark fruit along to a medium length finish that is fresh with a touch of red fruit.  The earthy nature of a classic Rioja shows itself in this $9 wine that has been aged for 30 months in oak.  I like it- 90 points worth which makes this Aldi branded Tempranillo a 5 star effort to stock up on.  It’s a great value.  Drink till 2026 with hearty meat dishes.  Salut….

Terra d’Uro ‘La Enfermera’ 2021, Toro, Spain

29 Friday Sep 2023

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose on this Tempranillo has medium intensity aromas of black plum, charred oak, licorice, candied black cherry, dusty earth and acai berry.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that are a touch astringent and grippy.  Flavors of sour black cherry, black plum, licorice and brambly earth coat my mouth in this full bodied wine. The finish is short to medium in length and a touch tart and bitter.  Overall this $ 12 bottle gets 87 points from me making it a 4 star effort to drink till 2026.  Salut….