Cuatro Rayas 61 Dorado en Rama

Bodega Cuatro Rayas makes this Dorado in Rueda, in Castilla y León, drawing on a local tradition that predates the modern denomination, when households in La Seca made white wines from overripe grapes and aged them oxidatively. The wine is a blend of Palomino Fino and Verdejo and is aged under a veil of flor, the film of yeast that forms on the surface of the wine in partly filled barrels. Flor ageing is the key to the style: the yeast shields the wine from full oxidation while feeding on it, converting alcohol into acetaldehyde and adding the yeasty, nutty, saline character that defines these wines. At 17 percent alcohol and bottled in 500 ml, this is a fortified style meant to be sipped slowly. It pours a deep, iodised gold with a yellow rim. The nose is complex and savoury, with almond, walnut and dried apricot over toasted bread, chamomile and a briny, saline note. The palate is dry and taut, with a firm saline core, dried fruit depth and a long nutty finish. Serve lightly chilled at 12 to 13 degrees in a white wine glass.