El Maestro Sierra Amontillado 12 Años

El Maestro Sierra is a small, traditional Jerez house known for long-aged sherries. This Amontillado is made from Palomino on the chalky albariza soils of the region and aged twelve years in butt, and it shows the defining feature of the style: the fusion of two ageing methods. For its first six years the wine ages biologically under flor, the spontaneous veil of yeast that grows in each barrel, protects the wine from oxidation and gives it sharp, bready, particular aromatics while stripping it bone dry. The flor is then allowed to die and the wine spends a further six years ageing oxidatively in contact with air, which deepens the colour and builds the nutty, dried-fruit complexity of an amontillado. The colour is amber. The nose is complex, with yeast, floral nuances and dried almond. The palate has a sharp, very dry entrance that opens into hazelnut, roasted nut, orange peel and caramel, with a savoury, persistent finish. Serve cool at 13 to 15 degrees in a copita or white-wine glass. It is a wine for savoury food and aged cheese.