I’m in a little group that is dedicated to tasting old and rare under-appreciated fortified wines such as Sherries, Madeiras, Malaga, etc. We got together to taste a couple of old solera sherries, one produced by Pedro Romero that is 60-70 years old and another produced by Gaspar Florido that is 110-120 years old. The soleras are currently owned by Bodegas Alonso and is being bottled in a set with a maximum of 500 sets.
The wines were very interesting, and really good. The notes are below. One thing our group has seen in tasting very old solera sherries is that they are at their best when first popped and poured. Time and air is not kind to the really old soleras. Their palate becomes dull and uninteresting.
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NV Pedro Romero Bodegas Alonso Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Palo Cortado - Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (6/24/2017)
Popped and poured. Tasted over two hours. The solera is between 60-70 years old.
Upon opening, the nose is nutty, with a decent amount of acetone. Really nice acidity that doesn’t slap you in the face. Very smooth and balanced. Some salinity showing. A slight green rim.
This wine is very approachable from the beginning. It was great with the fatty charcuterie that was served with it.
After two hours, a toffee nose has emerged. Still very smooth. This wine paired well with the double cream cow’s cheese and the ripened goat cheese. It was better upon opening, but still drinking very well. (93 pts.)
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NV Gaspar Florido Bodegas Alonso Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Palo Cortado - Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (6/24/2017)
Popped and poured, but tasted over two hours.
Upon opening, a huge nose of acetone. Intense acidity, but comes across pretty smooth. The mouthfeel is dense, almost thick. Strong salinity. A bit of a green rim. After about 20 minutes, orange peel started to emerge on the nose and palate.
This is a big and bold wine that’s very demanding on the palate. The solera is 110-120 years old. Served with charcuterie, where the fat helped to balance the acid.
After two hours, the acetone nose is greatly reduced. There’s some toffee on the nose now, but not on the palate. The palate is getting really dry, and not as dense as earlier. The palate has gotten much less interesting, with reduced intensity.
Our experience with very old soleras is that they need to be drunk right after opening. Time and air does not help these wines. They get dull and lifeless after an hour or two. (95 pts.)
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