El Maestro Sierra Cream

El Maestro Sierra Cream is a sweet sherry from the historic Maestro Sierra house in the D.O. Jerez-Xeres-Sherry, built from the two grapes that define the region: Palomino and Pedro Ximenez. It is a fusion of Oloroso aged for around 15 years, which gives the dry oxidative backbone, and Pedro Ximenez aged for around five years, which supplies the sweetness and dried fruit weight. The Palomino is grown on the chalky albariza soils that retain moisture through the dry Andalusian summer, while the Pedro Ximenez is sun dried before fermentation to concentrate its sugars. The blend is aged together in American oak through the criaderas and soleras system, where wine is drawn in stages from older barrels and topped up from younger ones, smoothing the profile and accumulating complexity. The long oxidative ageing exposes the wine to air through the cask, converting alcohol to compounds that read as nutty and savoury. The colour is deep mahogany. The nose shows walnut, raisin and toffee over orange peel, and the palate is medium sweet, rounded and warm, with roasted nuts and dried fig on a long savoury finish. Serve at 13 to 14C in a small glass, with nutty cheeses or caramel desserts.