Continuing on with my vintage obsession of today it is time to top and tail this note of this lovely oloroso abocado. I got this at the recommendation of Vila Viniteca – who have a great range of sherries and organize some top class tastings.

It is by Lustau and is surely one of the pioneers in this vintage sherry game. Sherry Notes has a fantastic write up that I cannot hope to match, so get over there for details.

The problem with finding a note like that is that it is hard to go on and make your own note – but anyway here are my own impressions.

I love the colour – a red brown that is clear if not quite crystalline. I love the nose too – brown sugar and raisins, burnt caramel, and alcohol, which comes over as close to the polish and pine needles of many a top class palo cortado.

It has a nice burnt taste to it too – I find it ever so sticky in texture but it has a nice balanced range of flavours. Nice acidity, big black treacle, burnt sugar, sweet spices, the afore mentioned pine needles, plum pudding (burnt raisins), even walnut skin nutty.

A good balance indeed – sticky but spicey.