Dry Sack Medium

Williams & Humbert, one of the great Jerez houses founded in 1877, makes Dry Sack Medium as a blended sherry built on an Oloroso base. It is made from Palomino grown on albariza chalk, softened and sweetened with a measure of Pedro Ximenez. The Oloroso component is fortified above the level at which flor can survive, so it ages oxidatively in American oak butts through a criaderas and soleras system, where wine is fractionally blended across a stack of barrels over six years. The slow contact with air through this fractional ageing concentrates the wine and builds its nutty, dried fruit depth, while the addition of sweet Pedro Ximenez rounds the finish into a medium style. The colour is amber to mahogany. The nose is led by dried fruit, raisin and caramelised sugar over walnut and hazelnut. The palate is mature, voluminous and slightly sweet, balanced between body and a clean, warming finish of toffee and orange peel. Serve at 13 to 15 degrees in a generous glass.