According to Broadsheet, an on line review of the good and fashionable in Aussie food and drink, one of the booze trends of 2025 is the Sherry revival. Hadn’t really noticed there was such a thing but I do like to think I’ve contributed by downing my share. Not sure it’ll replace beer this summer but I’m convinced a bit more popularity wouldn’t hurt as there’s been such an improvement in quality in recent years. The base wines seem to so much better, the rules are slowly changing for the good and there’s much less dirty old oak flavour and bitter sulphide. I now frequently get the impression I’m primarily drinking a delicious glass of wine without the complications of flor and old barrels dominating, just a tasty seasoning. This is a lovely 500ml of Sanlúcar vineyard magic, well it could be from those great pagos facing the estuary or from just anywhere. The rules haven’t changed to the extent that Manzanilla has to be from grapes grown anywhere near Sanlúcar, just matured in barrels there. Lustau themselves are still wedded to the idea that where the barrels are kept is far more important than where the grapes are grown. Going to their website and clicking on the individual Manzanillas and all there is the frustrating 404 not found thing. Secret? Imagine the French allowing Montrachet to be made from anything, just so long as the barrels are in the Côte de Beaune. Err..maybe they did unofficially once? Enough of the grumpy, the revolution has a way to go and this is really delicious wine. Seaside and estuary breezes, bajomar or low tide as the locals say, golden apple flavours, chamomile and straw, fennel, sesame seeds and a touch of bread dough to finish as the quinine twist of flor begs another sip. There’s a serious swell of great fruit before those complexities of flor and barrel dry and savour. As this bottling or saca is now over two years old, there’s maybe some development away from the fresh and salty towards the golden and rich, perhaps for the better? One of the weird effects of flor aging is the way volatile acidity falls as the yeasty bits float and then drop to become nourishing cabezuelas at the bottom of the barrel. Seems to help these en rama Sherries drawn straight from the bota stay stable and just get tastier in the bottle without extra filtering. Doing less sometimes means more.
15% alcohol, the rules now say 14% and it can still be labelled Manzanilla or Fino. Cork. $45.
94 points.
Cognitive Bottle Therapy 