Agree with you both but I think there’s room for both solera Sherry and anada Sherry. Given how little exists of the latter I wouldn’t mind having more of it available.
For another introductory recommendation I’ll throw out the Bodegas Hidalgo VOS Wellington Palo Cortado. One of my favorites in the mid-priced range.
Andrew, I am generally interested in the topic of lost, abandoned, banned, and secretly permitted varietals, so I would be interested in more details. I did find a bit of information on the Encrucijado and its non-DO status on SherryNotes and I think I have tracked down a source so I can pick up a bottle, so thank you.
Jay’s suggestion of the Wellington Palo Cortado VOS is a good idea. I also like the Valdespino Palo Cortado CP a great deal.
I love the Calle Ponce but it might be a little more challenging as a first try than the Wellington. My recollection is that the acidity is noticeably higher. That doesn’t bother me of course 
Jay, that is probably a valid point about the Calle Ponce vis-a-vis the Wellington. Thinking about the two, I think the CP probably displays more characteristics of biological aging. To me they add to the complexity, but for someone who is unfamiliar with them, I guess it could be a turn off.
David, I realized I never got back to you about the Manifesto 119 - in fact I finished my blog post on it the other day so here you go Manifesto 119 | undertheflor.com
Thank you Andrew. I did end up picking up a bottle of the 2012 Encrucijado Palo Cortado and enjoyed it. I need to post a note about it, but it is clear to me that at least the other 5 varietals used are quality grapes. There appears to be a very informative article on Verema discussing Encrucijado and other varietals in the context of the history of Palo Cortado as well as the Sherry region, but my Spanish is a bit too weak to be sure I fully grasp it. My takeaway is that older Sherry hands believe these other varietals were responsible for the more frequent natural emergence of Palo Cortado in the past, and that at least in part the higher level of malic acid in other varietals was far less flor-friendly than Palomino, which often has insufficient malic acid to undergo malolactic fermentation.
I thought En Rama bottlings were supposed to be drunk ASAP?
Drew, I think many people associate en rama bottlings only with Fino and Manzanilla. Often other styles are bottled en rama. For example, I believe Bodegas Tradicion bottles everything en rama, including their Fino (which is actually quite an old Fino). There are differing views on the need to consume en rama Fino and Manzanilla asap. Part of the concern is potential instability due to the possibility that active flor may develop, but that is not going to happen in an Oloroso or Palo Cortado or Amontillado. There is also a particular stylistic concern with Fino and Manzanilla because bottle aging will change the wine. So if you are looking for the light, vibrant style of a youthful Fino or Manzanilla, that might be a stronger reason to drink the wines soon than possible instability. I tend to prefer Finos and Manzanillas that are older at bottling, so I don’t mind letting a Solear en rama bottling spend a few more years in the bottle. But I have also bought too many bottles of en rama Manzanilla and Fino to consume them in a few months as some producers suggest, and I have never had a problem with instability.
Thanks David! If the wine is good, it’s good.
David is dead right, but while “en rama” technically just means only lightly filtered, more poetically it means “on the vine” so it strikes me as odd to use it for barrel aged wines. I associate it with fresh finos and manzanillas. I recently saw an oloroso en rama - Cruz Vieja Oloroso en rama | undertheflor.com - but for me it was too effectsy
As for the stability I had fun doing a comparison of three bottlings of La Guita last year - La Guita 2009, 2011, 2014 | undertheflor.com My own view is that as with any other wine, whether it will improve in the bottle depends on what goes into the bottle. As David says, the Solears are just brilliant and may well improve. Even a La Guita gained in character after 4 years - maybe went ott by 6.
Slightly off topic, but you guys seem to know your stuff.
I am trying to find out why ageing under flor came about. Did someone forget to fortify to 18% and flor developed by accident and the liked the resultant wine?
When did this take place? What I have learned so far was the end of the 18th beginning of the 19th century. I have not read Barquin’s or Liem’s books.
I will start poking around on the links from the under the flor’s blog.
Mark, that is an interesting question. From what I recall, I suspect that the dates you have are probably roughly correct in terms of when biologically aged Sherry became a deliberately produced commercial product. While wine had been exported from the Sherry region for many years, the product known as sack was a sweet wine. I don’t have my Barquin/Liem or Julian Jeffs books handy, but I don’t recall this being covered in great detail. Since flor is naturally occurring, it had probably been noted for quite some time, but there are a few pieces to the puzzle of reliably developing it and sustaining it, including the optimal must, the proper amount of fortification, the refreshment rate, and optimal barrel headroom. An interesting tidbit about fortification: Finos and Manzanillas are actually fortified to about 15-15.5 ABV because it is believed to be optimal for flor growth, but fortification to 18 ABV can be used to kill flor as well as to prevent it. However, there was likely naturally occurring flor before fortification and it might have persisted for some time. Vin Jaune, for example, is not fortified or refreshed. Having exhausted my limited off-the-cuff knowledge and specualtion, I defer to Andrew and others who may know more. Should you find better information, please do share it with us.
Thanks David, I was trying to say, someone made a mistake and only fortified to 15% and subsequently flor developed.
Dear Mark, Dear David,
David is right that the flor was always around, but my understanding is that it was embraced as part of the process in the 18th and 19th Centuries - mainly in Sanlucar, where the dominant variety was palomino fino much earlier. It almost certainly wasn’t a single mistake or incident, but one theory is that people were looking to make mostos (1 year), añejos (2 year) and reañejo (3 year) table wines and were losing almost a third of the harvest to the “flor” - but in fact local tastes developed until they eventually embraced the process.
I am afraid you won’t find much in English that will help on my site - I have posted the first section of a new book by two of the young turks: http://undertheflor.com/2016/01/30/las-anadas-en-el-marco-de-jerez/ but that is in Spanish. My other source would by Alvaro Giron Sierra and his probable history: Alvaro Giron Sierra: A probable history of the dry wines of Jerez – from chance to necessity | undertheflor.com but again in Spanish.
I hope this helps - my major learning from Alvaro Giron (who is a professor of industrial history at the University of Barcelona) is not to loo back at the 18th and 19th centuries looking for today’s wines. It is likely that back then it really was a “mystery” why wines turned out like they did, and many of the basic processes (soleras, fortification) were really attempts developed over time to control some of those variables.
In particular don’t believe some of the blarney - there is a hoary old chestnut about the wine sitting around while the Spanish were at war with the English and when peace broke out it had all aged biologically …
Thanks Andrew,
Great stuff and makes sense, The blarney sound similar to the origins ofRainwater Madeira - casks being left on the beach in Savannah for weeks and absorbing rain and changing the style.
Back on this I wanted to post a link to this book being prepared by two of the bright lights down there - “Las Añadas en el Marco de Jerez” - it is in Spanish and is only the first section but well worth a look Las añadas en el Marco de Jerez | undertheflor.com
Was reminded of this thread and realized I hadn’t posted my TNs on some fantastic “vintage” sherries - young uns but sherries that are statically aged and identifiable by vintage. Really promising ones too.
An awesome two year old fino from vines on Barajuela in Pago el Corregidor: Fino la Barajuela 2013 | undertheflor.com
The even more awesome but maybe not as finished two year old oloroso from the same vines (the heavier fruit) Oloroso La Barajuela 2013 | undertheflor.com
A 6 year old oloroso from Williams & Humbert - Oloroso en rama 2009, saca de febrero 2016, Williams Colección Añadas | undertheflor.com
In fact I have a case of these Williams Añadas and am looking to sort a tasting of all six soon.
Still not got around to the WIlliams Añadas collection but came across another couple of vintage wines this week:
A juicy and drinkable 2009 fino by Williams Fino en rama 2009, saca de febrero 2016, Williams Coleccion Añadas | undertheflor.com; and
A beautifully elegant 1975 palo cortado by Tradicion Palo Cortado Añada 1975, Bodegas Tradicion | undertheflor.com
Both really interesting and well worth trying
And the best of the lot so far was this lovely wine from Hidalgo la Gitana - only 20 years but well spent - Oloroso 1986, Bodegas Hidalgo – La Gitana | undertheflor.com
Andrew, reading your recent posts gives me Sherry-envy. Here in the US, quite a few of the Sherries you have mentioned over the past year are unavailable even in better served markets like NY, or if available the quantities are so miniscule that you need a secret handshake or something to get them. The 1986 Hidalgo La Gitana Oloroso is one example. I have searched high and low for the Tradicion Amontillado Viejisimo since tasting it at SherryFest, but to no avail.