Wine & Spirits - October 2017 - 90

YEAR'S BEST SHERRY
in body, with a soft texture and lots of spice
notes, this would complement smoked oys-
ters. § Europvin USA, Van Nuys, CA
222178

90 | Pérez Barquero

$34

Montilla-Moriles Gran Barquero Oloroso ^
With saline notes in the foreground, this is
fragrant, dry and refreshing. Mineral tones,
smoky notes and a pleasantly bitter finish
give even more complexity. All it needs is
jamón serrano and salted almonds. § V.O.S.
Selections, NY
223016

88 | Cesar Florido

$19

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Cruz del Mar Oloroso
(Best Buy) ^ This is a good introduction to the
Oloroso style. It starts out spicy and salty,
then slowly begins to show classic notes of
toasted hazelnuts and oxidative aromas of
earth and fungi. § De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, NC
222164

88 | HidalgoLa Gitana

$20/500ml

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Faraon Oloroso (Best
Buy) ^ With sweet notes of caramelized al-
monds and deeper flavors of walnuts, this is
light and friendly. Its combination of bright
acidity and dark flavors would work well with
rich meat dishes, like braised oxtail. § Classical
Wines, Seattle, WA
223019

87 | Grant

shellfish scents, yet it delivers its flavors with
linear austerity, like a spear, projecting notes
of nuts and honey, stones and chalk, directly
onto the tongue. After you open it, make sure
to save enough to try over the next several
days: Its evolution highlights the wine's min-
eral and saline side, leaving the caramel notes
in the background. § Frontier Wine Imports,
Dover, NJ
221879

93 | Lustau

$100/500ml

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry 30 years old VORS Palo
Cortado ^ While this is a dry Palo Cortado,
age has enriched it with notes of candied
figs and walnuts that give it an extra touch
of complexity. It's best paired with some-
thing simple, like salted almonds, allowing
its detailed flavors to shine. § Europvin USA,
Van Nuys, CA
223014

93 | El Maestro Sierra

$110

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Palo Cortado ^ This rare
Palo Cortado comes from four butts of a sol-
era that Maestro Sierra estimates to be more
than 70 years old. Although there is a slight
sweetness to it, the flavors are framed in sea
salt, stony notes, iodine and spices. It has
the character of the greatest dry Sherries,
but that sweet note gives it a touch of dis-
tinction-and makes it more approachable
as well. § De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, NC

$16

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry La Garrocha Oloroso
(Best Buy) ^ A salty acidity runs through this
wine, balancing its creamy texture and sweet
flavors of candied walnuts. It's medium bod-
ied, with spicy notes. § De Maison Selections,
Chapel Hill, NC
222173

$45/500ml

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Wellington 20 Years
VOS Palo Cortado ^ One of our panelists
remarked that this seemed the most "Fino-
like" of all the Palo Cortados, and he was
right: It has a subtlety, freshness and delicacy
in its aromas of salt and iodine, as well as a
touch of sweetness in its flavors of nuts and
fruit. A blend of wines averaging more than
20 years in age, it's impeccably balanced,
complex and elegant. § Hidalgo Imports,
Miami, FL
222016

93 | Delgado Zuleta

$27/375ml

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Palo Cortado (Best
Buy) ^ Delgado Zuleta bottles this Palo Cor-
tado after 18 years of aging in casks. The
result is a wine rich in caramel, iodine and
90

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2017

89 | Lustau

221843

92 | González Byass

$26

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Leonor 12 Años Palo
Cortado ^ Here's a terrific example of the clas-
sic Palo Cortado style: One side of this wine is
sweet and unctuous, the other more delicate
and dry. The two come together in a wine
that balances a figgy richness with herbal
and mineral notes that last until the very
end, leaving a refreshing sensation. § González
Byass USA, Chicago, IL
222229

92 | Yuste

$173/375ml

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Conde de Aldama Palo
Cortado ^ At first, seductive notes of candied
fruit predominate, but soon an oceanic salin-
ity takes over, opening a door to complex
notes of mushroom, chalk and stone. This

$35/500ml

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Almacenista Cayetano
del Pino y Cía Palo Cortado (Best Buy) ^
With deep flavors of toasted almonds, this
wine's play of caramelized scents and salty
notes makes for a gentle Palo Cortado. Ready
now for sautéed shrimp. § Europvin USA, Van
Nuys, CA

PEDRO XIMENEZ
221835

93 | González Byass

$50

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry VORS Noe Pedro Ximénez ^ It takes about three decades to complete
the aging process for Noe, which is why this
wine has already moved on from the typical
PX notes of sweet figs and candied walnuts to
include drier, salty flavors. It's enormous in
size, with salinity that intensifies all its many
flavors, a classic PX to drink in small sips
after dinner. § González Byass USA, Chicago, IL
223010

93 | El Maestro Sierra

$110

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Viejo Pedro Ximénez
Viejisimo ^ This is the oldest Pedro Ximénez
bottled by El Maestro Sierra, aged in the sol-
era for 50 years. Rich in notes of dried figs,
toasted chestnuts and caramel, it has the tex-
ture of honey and probably a similar weight.
That sweetness would suit vanilla ice cream. §
De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, NC
222028

91 | Delgado Zuleta

PA L O C O R TA D O

95 | HidalgoLa Gitana

Palo Cortado comes from one of the oldest
soleras in Jerez, with wines that average 100
years old. § Classical Wines, Seattle, WA
221913

$25

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Pedro Ximénez ^ Fla-
vors of roasted figs and chestnuts play a
starring role in this wine. It's nearly as dense
as maple syrup, but there's a salinity in the
background that keeps the wine balanced.
Drink it as a dessert in itself. § Frontier Wine
Imports, Dover, NJ
222353

90 | Dios Baco

$21/500ml

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Oxford 1.970 Pedro
Ximénez ^ This is unctuous and ample, redo-
lent with notes of candied figs and almonds
in syrup, salty notes playing like background
music. § Cordelina Wine Co., Gold River, CA
221841

90 | González Byass

$26

Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Dulce Nectar Pedro
Ximénez ^ This PX is like a nectar of can-
died figs. It's deeply sweet, with notes of
nuts and maple syrup adding detail as the
wine expands to fill every millimeter of your
mouth. González Byass USA, Chicago, IL n
http://www.gonzalezbyassusa.com/winery/gonzalez-byass-sherries/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - October 2017
