Gran Duque d'Alba Solera Gran Reserva
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The gold-highlighted mahogany color and the complexity of the aromas – wine esters with distinctive balsamic notes – remind us of the brandy’s lengthy presence in wood. The palate is medium-dry, smooth and full, with burnt undertones and hints of vanilla, followed by a long, pleasing finish.
Serve in a snifter at room temperature and warm the brandy by keeping your hand around the bottom. Perfect for sitting around the table and enjoying a conversation after a meal.
Gran Duque D’Alba is named for Fernando Alvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, the Grand Duke of Alba. First bottled in 1945, Gran Duque D'Alba is made from the juice of Palomino and Airen grapes, which are fermented then distilled in pot stills. After distillation the spirit is aged at Bodegas Williams & Humbert, utilizing the traditional solera method.
The Medina family, current owners of Bodegas Williams & Humbert, describe how the bodega’s wine merchant in Madrid at that time was a great friend of the Seventh Duke of Alba, Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falco (father of the current Duchess of Alba), and prior to the launch of an exclusive brandy asked if he could baptize it with his name. After tasting it the aristocrat was pleasantly impressed and suggested that for such a noble product it would be far more appropriate to use the name of his ancestor the Great Duke of Alba, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, who had ennobled the House of Alba and was an important historic figure. This appears in a written document which authorizes the brandy to use the name.