Winemaker Notes
Matusalem after 30 years in cask has acquired an intense mahogany color with profound aromas of dried fruits, raisins, spices and mature wood. On the palate smooth and sweet, long and velvety. Matusalem has an interesting bitter sweet finish due to the mix of the sweet Pedro Ximenez and bitter tannins from the oak.
This wine should be served slightly chilled in a small wine glass. Ideal with mature cheeses or blue cheeses such as Stilton. Also perfect as a dessert wine with fruit pudding or apple pie.
Blend: 75% Palomino, 25% Pedro Ximenez
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Perfumed with inviting layers of coffee, almond savoury herb and spice, then to a luxurious palate of caraway, orange zest, molasses and bitter chocolate.
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Wine Enthusiast
Forget about Sherry styles, Matusalem operates in its own zone with its own rules. An intense, smoky nose shows charred barrel notes and prune aromas. A rich but snappy palate is not the least bit sticky, while deep flavors of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and molasses finish with grace.
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Wine Spectator
Walnut, halva, raisin and buckwheat honey notes are layered, backed by hints of bitter almond and toasted pecan. Shows good energy for a cream style, with the bitter edge imparting length and cut.
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.