Author: sharquillo

Fino Tradicion November 2017

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Lunchtime in Media Ración and no better way to start than a glass of Tradición Fino. Any time I drink this it always takes me back to a memorable, unforgettable vertical in Reserva y Cata (already three sacas ago – none of which I have blogged about until now) and the overwhelming impression is of a series of wines that just gets better and better.

This is one of the top wines in the older fino bracket and has the big bones and solidity that 12 years under flor will create, but as with other wines from Tradición what sets it apart is not so much how old it is but how youthful it seems for its age. In color it is a rich gold, but nowhere near as dark as some younger wines, and while not as aromatic as some finos it has an impressively compact, clean profile to the nose. On the palate too, you get a good dose of roasted almond, particularly in these November sacas, but also fresh citrus notes (and a slight gooseberry bitterness). You have the impression that it is a wine that will age very impressively in the bottle (if it ever gets the chance).

A high quality fino, from a line of high quality finos. Must find myself those two missing sacas!

Amontillado de añada 2003 (Saca de noviembre 2017) in The One Wine

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Recently I am starting a lot of posts with “not exactly a sherry temple but” and here is another one. Just two sherries open by the glass, but never mind the thickness, feel the quality …

This is a lovely, lively fine wine. Just on the orange side of old gold, with a brandy like nose of hazelnuts and polish and just a bit of sweetness. Then on the palate it has an acidic sharpness and a very elegant, fine palate with flavours of nuts, yeast, and minerals.

Absolutely top drawer. Enjoyed with a tomato salad and some smooth jazz but more of that in another post!

Viña Matalian 2017 in KultO

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One of the most criminally under-rated wines I know of and just the perfect wine for summer. Really fresh, fruity, smooth, just a hint of mineral texture and salinity that makes your mouth water. Beautiful profile to it – like an almond in shape – and has a bit of that almond umami on the palate too. This one has even more fruit on the nose and palate than other vintages I have tried but still has the lovely freshness.

Cute as a bug’s ear and I could drink this by the litre – but get yourselves down to Kulto and you won’t have to because they have it by the glass.

 

Oloroso de añada 1975 in Taberna Palo Cortado

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Long overdue write up of a fantastic wine I had a good while ago in Taberna Palo Cortado – the Oloroso de Añada 1975 from Bodegas Tradición.

Bodegas Tradición are rightly famous for their VORS solera wines and I will always remember the tasting – also in Palo Cortado – when their enologist, Jose Maria Quiros, explaining how their biggest challenge was to keep the old wines tasting balanced and youthful. On that day this wine was one of the stars, and tasting it again nearly a year later it is still an exceptional wine.

The nose is very fine and brandy like, sweetness and spices in there with the furniture polish, and on the palate it is beautifully clean. I must admit that whenever I taste one of these vintage olorosos I am expecting so much acidity and concentration that they often come across as fresh and balanced but this really was. Again a nice acidity on the attack and then rich, gingery, spicey caramel flavours that grow in volume before fading away elegantly, and for a long time.

Really top class, and if you hurry they may still have some (they did last week).

Fino en rama Arroyuelo in Media Ración

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Not had the Arroyuelo en Rama in a while but was delighted to break that duck over a spot of lunch. The star fino from Finca Matalian and probably the Southernmost fino in el marco, rather than periodic “sacas” these are bottled to order and this was from January 2017.

As you would imagine given that date it was very very biological – a really pungent nose, sharply zingy salinity (for all those 14 months in the bottle) and a slightly bitter and very spicey, rocket salad palate with a finish that was mouth watering and stinging at the same time.

An absolute belter. Top class fino with a unique personality. It occurred to me how similar it is to the similarly impeccable Solear en Rama from the opposite end of the region. I may be imagining it but must try a side by side.

Fino del Puerto Lustau in El Del Medio

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Had a cracking lunch in “El del Medio” this weekend. Not a sherry destination by a long way – just two on the list – and they seem to view sherry as an aperitif, with just this and the Macarena on the list, but the food was high quality and high fun and this is a terrific fino with lots of personality.

Has that aroma of rockpools that for me really characterizes the finos del puerto: not super aromatic but a punchy noseful. Then has a heavy saline body, plenty of juice and a really fresh finish.

Perfectly decent stuff and went beautifully with artichokes and scallops. The job, as they say, is a good one.

The wines of Fismuler

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Maybe not quite a sherry temple here but I was pleasantly surprised by the list at trendy Madrid eatery Fismuler the other night. The five wines above may not be many in number but they are right up my alley: a quality manzanilla from Delgado Zuleta, the excellent fino del puerto by Gutierrez Colosía, the serially and seriously under-rated Fossi by Primitivo Collantes and a heavyweight palo cortado and amontillado by Williams & Humbert.

And the list didn’t stop there. There was some cracking stuff further down – from el marco Viña Matalian and Tintillas by Vara y Pulgar and Bodegas Forlong – and in general some really good independent winemakers represented all the way down: Clos Lentiscus, Barco de la Corneta, Bodegas Fuentegalana and Ziries, to name just the few we drank.

A quality, well priced and well chosen list. And the food was tasty and the atmosphere lively – no complaints and I will be back for the rest.

Fino la Barajuela 2013 (Saca de 2017) in Media Ración

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It must seem as if I am obsessed with these wines – it has got to the point where my blogging colleagues gently pull my leg about it on social media. Of course there is an element of truth in that, but in my defense I am also in a virtuous loop in which the places I go to tend to stock them, the sommeliers I know are aware of my interest and it is so hard to say no when they are offered.

In fact at one point I did start saying no, on the basis that if I drank all the wine on offer it would defeat the object of writing about them (one establishment told me they had been sent two bottles of one vintage, of which I had accounted for 75%) since noone else would be able to drink them anyway.

And to be honest I am a little mystified as to why more people have not done so. As I have mentioned before on here I find these wines fantastic: top notes, bottom notes, body, concentration, shape, salinity, the full package. Neither do I believe I am alone in this: every time I have shared a bottle with friends from outside my bubble they have loved it (even Mrs Undertheflor enjoys a glass or two) and better judges than I seem to share my enthusiasm.

Anyway, I reckon I have allowed you all a fair crack so be warned: my admirable self restraint, and with it your chance to enjoy these wines, is coming to an end.

 

Atamán Vermouth

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In Jerez old is now the new new. Just missed out in the unveiling of this in Madrid this week. A newly relaunched vermouth under an old Barbadillo brand resurrected in 2017 after 40 odd years.

As I say, I missed the unveiling, and indeed I only made it to La Fisna before closing by the skin of my teeth and as a result have next to no actual information, other than that it is an old recipe with a manzanilla base and an amped up dosage of quinine.

The resulting potion is powerful stuff and not at all what springs to mind when someone says “vermouth”. The manzanilla base is dry as dry can be and there is no hint of sweetness. For me it is more reminiscent of an amaro, with burnt caramel bitterness, but saline. (You get the feeling that a martini made with this would be filthy rather than dirty.)

Serious, grown up, drinking.