Monday 3 July 2017

Brandy Punto Azul Prestige Solera Gran Reserva 40%, Pedro Romero

Appearance
Deep, walnut/mahogany to amber with a trace of green at the rim, legs.
Nose
Powerful notes of wood, old barrels, leather and Oloroso with traces of vanilla, allspice, dried fruit - pasa - dried orange peel, toffee, toasted almond, just the complex array one would expect from such an old brandy. And it doesn't hold back.
Palate
A gentle sweetness greets the palate, fading slightly as the full force comes through. It is big concentrated and dry yet has remarkably little aggressiveness in the tannin. Oloroso, dried fruit and wood are the principal flavours, between which nestle subtle sweeter notes of fruit and caramel. It is a very serious brandy, and a little drop of water would be forgiven just to make it easier.
Comments
I was very lucky to get hold of this, as it is not only the original, bottled by Pedro Romero, but also about 26 euros cheaper than the current price for the brand which is now owned by Francisco Yuste. Even at 96 euros it is cheap for what it is.This legendary Sanlúcar brandy comes from soleras consisting of some 200 butts or more established at the end of the XIX century and located in their own bodega. The firm was one of the first to sell brandy in bottle in 1891. There were three small sacas of Prestige each year. The name Punto Azul or Blue Spot derives from the quality markings used on American oak staves imported from Costa Rica, in which the blue spot was the finest. There are two Punto Azul brandies: Prestige, with over 50 years solera age and Heritage, with over 80. Both were 100% holandas, 65% of which was distilled from Palomino wine. The butts were seasoned with Oloroso. Each bottle carries a card stamped with the bottle's number tied with gold string to the neck. In the days of the bodega's Club Punto Azul Heritage this number equated to a person's membership number. Among their benefits, members had access to some of the bodega's finest products - but in limited quantities.
Price
69.75 Roali, Mijas

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