Winemaker Notes
Wow, this wine is ethereally light and profound. The same is true for the palate and with an interminable finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
This Amontillado is based on a solera established by the founder of the bodega, José Antonio Sierra, in 1830. He was a master cooper at the time and, little by little, he stored up enough wines to establish his own winery. Today, the wines of this solera average about 50 years of age, and the salinity of their flavors is extreme: You might wonder if you’re tasting sea water rather than wine, which, in theory, does not sound very good, but, in this case, is delicious. Notes of dried fruits, nuts, almonds and iodine unite with the saline flavors to create a wine that is both powerful and firm, balanced and elegant.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Next in sweetness is the light amber colored non-vintage (Vinos Viejos) Amontillado 1830 VORS, which has been aged at least 50 years in the solera system. It is racy and intense and would work well with lobster bisque.
Sherry is a fortified wine that comes in many styles from dry to sweet. True Sherry can only be made in Andalucía, Spain where the soil and unique seasonal changes give a particular character to its wines. The process of production—not really the grape—determine the type, though certain types are reserved for certain grapes. Palomino is responsible for most dry styles; Pedro Ximénez and Muscat of Alexandria are used for blending or for sweet styles.
Known more formally as Jerez de la Frontera, Jerez is a city in Andalucía in southwest Spain and the center of the Jerez region and sherry production. Sherry is a mere English corruption of the term Jerez, while in French, Jerez is written, Xérès. Manzanilla is the freshest style of sherry, naturally derived from the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.