Amontillado del Príncipe 15 años

Amontillado del Príncipe 15 años is made by Marqués del Real Tesoro in Jerez de la Frontera, a house whose reputation rests on soleras acquired in 1897 from the Count of Villacreces, parcels already more than 200 years old. The wine is pure Palomino Fino grown on the albariza chalk soils around Jerez, whose high reflectivity and water retention sustain the vines through a hot, dry summer. An Amontillado begins life as a Fino under a protective veil of flor yeast, which consumes oxygen and adds a yeasty saline character. The flor is then allowed to die back and the wine is refortified, exposing it to air for a second, oxidative stage that builds nuttiness and colour. Fifteen years of fractional ageing through the criaderas and soleras knit these two phases together. It is amber with a robust, concentrated palate, the nose led by hazelnut and walnut over toasted bread and dried apricot, finishing dry and saline. Serve cool at around 13 degrees in a copita, alongside cured ham, aged cheese, mushroom dishes or oily fish such as mackerel and tuna.