SF | Pale straw with flecks of ochre, its age worn with dignity. The nose is equally composed, serene in a lazy bucolic environment rather than the rigours of maritime effort; salinity thus less in evidence, more a gentle earthy peppery, almost whimsical character. Savoury, with white pepper and hint of bacon rind and pinenut in support. Elegant and discreet, its virtue not alloyed to evaporative concentration, rather to the merits of patient husbandry. 92
AJ | A touch more deeply golden (after 8 years) but still lighter in colour than the majority of the solera wines Atrtractive ... and it's interesting that it's only after 8 years that you begin to see the 'mark of flor', aromatically speaking, in the vintage wines. But would a single vintage support flor for 8 years? I'm not sure! Vin Jaune goes into bottle after six ... but of course the flor is always much thinner up there. Anyway, this is gently classical in style, still slightly sweet in cast, with an anis note mingling with the salted almond and mushroom. On the palate, this is another seemingly big and opulent kind of Manzanilla, and it has eaten its yeast and become serenely yeasty very successfully --- that's the bulk of the pleasure here. The two younger vintage efforts have more zest and wider flavour-spectrums, but this is deep and long-haul. Serene now. It doesn't say when it was bottled but presumably you don't want to leave it too long. I've given all three the same score as they all strike me as being at the same quality level -- but they are all very different so this is a perfect instance of the inadequacy of scoring.Drink Dates: 2024 - 2025. 91
DW | The third of three "vintage" wines, and, like the others, a sense of a slightly different sub-category, which seems to be characterised by a certain clarity of expression, if slightly at the expense of complexity? Just a theory for now, but there is, here, a juicy freshness (in the context) and brightness, and a grilled or baked citrus and fennel seed character, with a tangy, subtly yeasty finish.Drink Dates: 2024 - 2025. 91