Wine | DWWA Score | My score | My comment |
---|---|---|---|
González Byass Tio Pepe Dos Palmas Fino | Gold - 95 | 96 | Despite extended aging under flow, the wine is fresh and delicate on the nose. More time in cash shows more clearly on the palate with power and depth, with green almonds and intense iodine. Fabulous finish, huge and everlasting. |
González Byass Tio Pepe Tres Palmas Fino | Platinum - 97 | 94 | 10 years under flor takes a commitment and investment by the wine-maker but has resulted in a wine with surprising delicacy on nose and palate. The wine is subtle in its intensity but has enormous depth and character. Very impressive. |
Valdespino La Especial Manzanilla en Rama | Gold - 96 | 95 | The flor aging on the nose is very delicate and subtle - equally so on the palate. There is a mid-palate intensity to the fruit, which shows typical dryness and bitter fruit. Stunning finish, so long and powerful. This is such a classy wine. |
Lustau Almacenista José Luis González Obregón Amontillado | Gold - 95 | 96 | Over 10 years of barrel age produces a wine with a surprisingly fruity nose. Elegant and delicate with sublime interplay on the palate and a balance that is to be envied. Mouthfilling aftertaste. Stunning. |
González Byass Tio Pepe Quatro Palmas Amontillado | Best in Show - 97 | 95 | 55 years old! But the delight was the balance the wine has, bringing together power and finesse. Huge on the palate, aged so long it tastes of bitter burnt sugar, which is a taste that just doesn't leave the mouth. |
Bodegas Tradicíon Del Duque VORS Amontillado | Best in Show - 97 | 97 | The darkest of the VORS Amontillado flight. Gentle nose showing the quality of the solera. Beautifully balanced on the palate with a lovely rainbow of flavours playing one after the other. A pot of gold lies at the foot of the rainbow, showing in the aftertaste and finish |
Lustau VORS 30YO Amontillado en Rama | Platinum - 97 | 95 | Incredibly attractive nose, elegant and fulsome. The palate is just as attractive with a glorious harmony to the wine. Eye-wateringly beautiful, with a long and lingering finish. Brilliant wine. |
Harvey's Medium VORS 30YO Palo Cortado | Platinum - 97 | 96 | Nicely pronounced yeast extract nose. Salty palate with an incredible intensity - truly astonishing finish that is so full of flavour. A fabulous example of everything an old Palo Cortado can offer when it has the harmony and balance of this wine. |
Bodegas Tradicíon VORS 30YO Palo Cortado | Platinum - 97 | 95 | Classic nutty nose, intense palate with concentrated umami and hazelnut. Powerful bitterness on the mid-palate with too much concentration for comfort. This is a wine which really will challenge even an experienced Sherry drinker - but it is absolutely magnificent! |
Lustau VORS 30YO Palo Cortado en Rama | Platinum - 97 | 97 | Surprisingly elegant on the nose for such an old wine. Modest entry with a gentle first impression. The gentleness gets slowly left behind as the symphony of flavours builds to a crescendo, slowly fading away on the aftertaste to leave a lingering echo reverberating in the mouth and memory. |
Bodegas Tradicíon VORS 30YO Oloroso | Platinum - 97 | 96 | Lovely aromatics, a wine very easy to sniff and forget to taste! Big on the palate, but with a lovely savoury core. Complex, with multiple layers of interest playing around on the edges of the tongue. Gloriously layered aftertaste and finish. Oh my! This is very impressive. |
Lustau VORS 30YO Oloroso | Gold - 95 | 94 | A little dirty on the nose but cleaner on the palate. Intense, austere and saline, stripping all the moisture out of the mouth of the person sipping the wine. A little too big, or perhaps trying a little too hard. Unbelievably impressive finish. |
Harvey's Medium Very Old Blend 30YO Oloroso | Gold - 96 | 95 | Nice and expressive on the nose, a sweetened Oloroso. The power of the Oloroso shows clearly through on the palate with the PX just taking the edge off the intense bitterness. Big and bold, this is a great wine to show that sweetening a wine does not mean compromising on quality. |
Lustau VORS 30YO Cream en Rama | Gold - 96 | 95 | Quite subtle on the nose, but attractive nonetheless. Well balanced on the palate with the sugar less than most in the flight and more of the Sherry character shining through. Has the en rama bottling made a difference to the wine? I don't know, but the wine is showing very well today. |
Lustau VORS 30YO Moscatel | Gold - 95 | 95 | Obviously old (VORS) from the colour with a very pretty on the nose. Intense floral flavours with excellent levels of acidity to balance the sugar. Very sweet, but with a lovely profile. Concentrated yet well balanced. An absolutely excellent aged Moscatel from the Jerez region. |
González Byass Noe VORS Pedro Ximenez | Gold - 96 | 94 | Attractive nose of tea leaves and dandelion. Lovely texture - not too thick and not too thin. Rich on the palate, with a nice density, raisins and sultanas but also a little molasses and black treacle. |
Harvey's VORS 30YO Pedro Ximenez | Gold - 95 | 96 | What a lovely nose! Such gravitas on the palate, with immense depth and concentration. Obviously sweet yet with savoury and meaty tones to the fruit. The complexity doesn't stop with the palate - the aftertaste and finish delivers an astonishing milk chocolate I don't think I've ever found in VORS PX before. What a really interesting wine. |
I do admit, that was an extraordinary day of tasting. Some of those wines were just astonishing.