I don’t “get” Manzanilla Pasada - help needed

WINE TALK
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I love most Sherry styles, the exceptions being PX and “British Sherry” (which someone once waggishly described as neither British nor Sherry). My favourites are probably Manzanilla, Fino, Palo Cortado and dry Oloroso

Then there is Manzanilla Pasada. To me, the point about Manzanilla is freshness and the sense of bracing coastal air. Pasada kills that stone dead. This post prompted by a half bottle of Bodegas Barbadillo Pastora MP opened yesterday. Yes a very complex wine but I could not get the lack of freshness out of my head. For oxidative styles I prefer, say, dry Oloroso. Other wines Ive tried are Hidalgo Pastrana, Lustau. None was compelling (to me).

I’d welcome any comments or suggestions of other versions to try ( although access can be difficult in Ontario).

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I guess here is your problem. Manzanilla Pasada isn’t Manzanilla, so its point is not freshness. You should treat it like a lighter, fresher version of Amontillado. Just like in Amontillado, you get some oxidative qualities, but also some of that aldehydic tang that is more or less absent in Olorosos. A classic Manzanilla Pasada is quite similar to an Amontillado - if there are any differences, it might be slightly less weighty and showing a bit less oxidative qualities.

But if you simply prefer Oloroso over Amontillado in the oxidative styles of Sherry, I guess there is nothing we can do to make you “get” Manzanilla Pasada.

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