Tinto y Blanco » Palomino Blend

Gonzalez Byass ‘Solera 1847′ Oloroso Dulce

Dave Worthington — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:00:13 +0000

Yes, its time for another cream sherry tasting note. This one kicks goals however…A buggar to take photos of though.

A really enticing nose of wood and nuts, with a touch of raisin, coco powder and nutmeg. Creamy and intense in the mouth with notes of hot chocolate, dried fruit, hot cinnamon, orange peel and nice wood. Plenty of length here, with a warm, nutty finish. A real winner with a hunk of Queso Mahon on a cold night. 90 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $30 Closure: Cork Stopper

Web: www.gonzalezbyass.com

Gonzalez Byass ‘Elegante’ Sweet Cream

Dave Worthington — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:35:43 +0000

What can you say about cream sherry? It’s is the quintessential ‘Nana’ sherry. It’s what many people reference of when they think of sherry, the big jugs of McWilliams Cream Sherry sitting at the bottom of cupboard that their grandmother used ‘just for cooking’. More often than not, if I give someone a glass of good sherry, more often than not I’ll get a comment about drinking it with nana in the kitchen while no-one was looking. There are some amazing cream sherries on the market (this oloroso dulce is an example) Anyway, this is another blend of PX and palomino sherry, but it works a bit better than the last one.

Notes of dried fruit, mostly raisins, and wood with an almost malty, floral note. Quite nice really. But in the mouth it doesn’t follow through to the same extent. A burst of raisins and nuts on entry but it’s all too short. Viscus and kind of creamy in the mouth with some warmth on the finish. At this price you can’t really complain and Nana would love a sneaky bottle behind the cooking oil. 85 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $17 Closure: Cork Stopper

Web: www.gonzalezbyass.com

Gonzales Byass ‘Elegante’ Medium Dry Amontillado

Dave Worthington — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:00:41 +0000

Now, this is a blend of Amontillado and PX. I’m not too sure on why Gonzales Byass has a fascination with adding PX to perfectly good Palomino based sherry, but here is another example. I’m assuming that this is a throw back to the bad old days of exporting a range of sweetness levels to the UK. Anyway, it doesn’t blow my skirt up.

A nose of sweet, robust wood and walnuts with a hint of raisins. The palate is a odd, a mild level of sweet raisins, but then a hit of savoury nuts and old oak, a bit of coco too. A short finish showing a bit of alcohol heat, but its smooth from start to finish. It’s well made, and the nose is OK, but it just doesn’t come together as a drink. 80 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $17 Closure: Cork Stopper

Web: www.gonzalezbyass.com

Gonzalez Byass ‘Matusalem’ Oloroso Dulce

Dave Worthington — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:00:48 +0000

I have a box full of fortifieds to get through at the moment, mostly sherry but also some fondillon from Alicante. Plus I was lucky enough to be invited to a Quinta do Noval masterclass a couple of weeks ago that I’ll write up this week. So if you’re a fortified fan you’ll be in for a treat over the next couple of weeks. Lets kick things off with this Oloroso Dolce. It’s part of the Solera Excusiva range, which are the older wines from GB, usually 30+ years old.

Oloroso Dulce is a blend of Oloroso and PX (ala cream sherry), it’s not one of my favourite styles but this does a convincing job.

Notes of dried dates, currants and raisins with some walnut and old oak character. It’s off dry in the mouth, not a sweet monster, with plenty of walnut oak, raisin, and toasty character in the mouth. Very smooth with extreme length and a welcome touch of warmth. There is a sweet/savoury thing going on that I like. Perfect for the cheese course. 91 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $50 (375ml) Closure: Cork Stopper

Web: www.gonzalezbyass.com