Thursday 31 December 2015

Amontillado Viejo 19%, Argüeso

Appearance
Lively pure amber with coppery tints and a hint of green at the rim, noticeable legs.
Nose
Quite intense, aromatic and very Amontillado. High-toned and tight but very fragrant: noticeable acetaldehyde, toasted almond, American oak, trace vanilla, a slightly astringent note from age and possibly flor is balanced by a slightly glyceric almond essence note giving a lovely tension between the phenolics of age and the glyceric fragrance.
Palate
Intense, crisp, tangy, not lacking in (mainly volatile) acidity. The hints of sweetness on the nose turn drier giving a touch of leanness with a hint of tannin. This is a very old wine without any adjustment and thanks to the acidity and bitterness it has great length and leaves a lovely old Amontillado flavour on the palate, for ages.
Comments
According to the Argüeso website this very fine wine is a VORS i.e. over 30 years old but there is no mention of this on the label. There is of course no requirement to go through the procedure of getting a wine certified VORS by the Consejo. It does say that when the firm was founded in 1822 they bought soleras which were already old, and so it is impossible to say how old they are. For a VORS you just need to prove the wine took over 30 years to go through the solera, the age of the solera itself is less important. This wine is sealed with a 5cm driven cork which will help it age further in bottle.
Price
38 Euros in Spain. Not available in UK


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