Carm LBV Port 2019
$37.99
Carm is a winery that is still entirely owned by the same family - Roboredo Madeira - that launched the house back in the mid-17th century. The agricultural operation has always been focused in the region where the Douro River begins its course exclusively in Portuguese territory. This is also where the oldest demarcated wine region begins – the Demarcated Douro and Port Wine Region. The grapes for this wine come from an old vineyard in Quinta da Urze, more than 50 years old and at 650m altitude. It's a field blend, with more than 20 different grapes; the main ones being: Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão and Sousão.
Taylor Fladgate Victory 80 Year Old Port
$1,199.99
This wine is a masterpiece of patience and expertise. Aged for eight decades in hand-crafted, seasoned oak casks, this exceptional Tawny Port embodies the pinnacle of Taylor Fladgate’s unrivalled expertise in fine Port winemaking. To create this extraordinary blend, Taylor Fladgate has drawn upon its vast reserves of very old cask-aged Port, carefully preserved in its historic cellars in Oporto. Among these reserves lies a precious treasury of rare and historically significant wines, representing a tiny volume of the house’s finest aged stocks. Only in the most exceptional circumstances are these rare gems unveiled, and for Victory Port, Taylor Fladgate’s expert blenders have meticulously selected a few of these remarkable vintages. Each of the 1,945 bottles of Taylor Fladgate’s Victory Port is individually numbered and presented in a bespoke luxury case, designed to reflect the grandeur and historical significance of this edition.
Nutty Solera Oloroso Sherry
$21.99
This off-dry Oloroso is great value for the price. Walnut, spice, dried fruit and some earthy, meaty notes on the nose. The palate has some sweetness, but the tangy Sherry character balances it nicely and the raisin, mandarin orange, fig and leather notes linger on a long finish, according to Wine Access magazine.
Lustau Fino Sherry Jarna
$38.99
This Fino Sherry from Lustau is made with the Palomino grape. It is aged for four years in casks with a layer of yeast on top called Flor, which keeps the aging sherry from oxidizing. 15% ABV.
From The Producer
"Pale straw colour with greenish reflections, bright and clean. This is a Jerez style Fino: fresh, mineral and pungent on the nose with almonds and bakery notes. Dry and crisp on the palate, yet rich and with a full finish.
Aged under a veil of yeast, called “flor”, in Bodega Las Cruces in Jerez de la Frontera. The inland climate in the town of Jerez de la Frontera provides a more rounded and fuller style of wine."
Bodegas Baron Manzanilla
$41.99
Bottled at 15% ABV, this Manzanilla Sherry is aged for an average of 10 years before bottling.
From The Producer
"This wine comes from the ‘Palomino’ variety, obtained by gentle pressure and subjected to complete fermentation. It’s 15% alcohol volumen obtained by biological aging must be undertaken in full in wineries located in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Being a product called “pasada en rama” combines two attributes, one of them the freshness of a product twinned with his barrel and a finesse and elegance of its pre-oxidative balance. The very special microclimate of our winery located at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, provides the development of the ‘velo de flor’ which provides its peculiar organoleptic characteristics. This biological aging continues for a period of three to four years in American oak barrels using the traditional ‘criaderas’ and solera system."
Lustau Palo Cortado Sherry
$50.99
This Palo Cortado Sherry for Lustau has an average age of 12 years and is bottled at 19% ABV.
From The Producer
"This exceptional sherry brings together the finesse and delicacy of an Amontillado with the richness and body of an Oloroso. An extremely versatile wine. Aged for 12 years in Bodega la Emperatriz Eugenia in Jerez de la Frontera."
El Maestro Oloroso
$79.99
El Maestro Sierra was founded in 1830 by master cooper José Antonio Sierra, who ran a prosperous barrel-building business called La Merced. Recognized as one of the top coopers in the area, he longed to become involved in the Sherry trade itself. Eventually, he set about building a small winery to make the best sherries possible. As the sherry business was, and remains to this day, dominated by aristocratic families, the idea of a humble worker joining their ranks was met with open disdain. After many hardships he was able to establish and grow his business, becoming one of the most respected almacenistas (stockholders) of high-quality sherry. It is still run by his descendants, located in a privileged part of Jerez on top of the hill, exposed to the cool Poniente winds which nourish the elegant wines. As a reminder of the bodega’s struggles, the labels depict a hunting scene with a hare being chased by the nobles, alluding to José Antonio Sierra’s struggles in founding the artisanal house in a social climate dominated by the aristocrats of his time.
El Maestro Sierra was passed down through the family and protected by the legendary Doña Pilar Pla Pechovierto from 1976 until her passing in 2020. She was a brave and resolute woman who inherited the business after the early death of her husband, Antonio Borrego. Pilar managed to drive the business forward despite the prevailing machismo of the time. El Maestro Sierra became the first and is still one of the few bodegas run entirely by women. When her husband passed away in 1976, she resisted the intense pressure to sell and kept the winery going through tough times by selling wines to the locals in jugs. In 1997, while the men were away from the Consejo Regulador, she was stealthily able to obtain the first bottling permit for an almacenista house, which was forbidden until that point. Pilar was an extraordinary individual with a singularity of purpose: to maintain the grand estate of El Maestro Sierra. Because the wines have remained virtually unmoved due to the slow business in the following decades, the stocks at El Maestro Sierra are some of the oldest and most undisturbed in Jerez.
The tradition is continued by Pilar’s daughter and current owner, Dr. Carmen Borrego Pla, and Capataza Ana Cabestrero; aided by long-time family friend and consultant master Capataz, Paco Salas. Dr. Borrego Pla, a historian and expert in the History of the Americas at the University of Seville, has published many books and papers relating to Andalucia’s role in this grand history and continues to be one of the region’s foremost cultural historians.
Fernando de Castilla Antique Oloroso
$43.99
The Fernando de Castilla winery occupies a series of historic cellars in the center of Jerez. In that stillness, silence and darkness, they age their authentic oenological treasures. Legendary wines, brandies and vinegars have been recognized, valued and awarded all over the world since 1837. Pure bottled poetry.
For fun, this is how Google translated the info from the wineries website:
Smelly Antique E40,90 . Oxidative aging wine of the 100% pigeon variety.
We sense a Monty Python sketch in there somewhere.
Gruber Riesling Eiswein 375ml
$52.99
Since 2013, Gruber has been using organic methods to cultivate the various plots of land in their winery. They do it out of conviction, not because it is in fashion. The extra work it demands (and less yield) reimburses them with more identity and character in our wines: Allowing nature to take the reins, they promote the self-healing powers of the vines to support the most valuable resources – the soils of their vineyards in Röschitz.