Fernando de Castilla Antique Amontillado

Rey Fernando de Castilla is a Jerez house in Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, whose Antique range bottles old wines from the bodega's oldest soleras. This Amontillado is made only from Palomino Fino, the native white grape of the Marco de Jerez, grown on the region's albariza chalk soils that reflect sunlight and store winter rain to carry the vines through the dry Andalusian summer. Amontillado begins life under a cap of flor yeast, which protects the wine from oxygen and gives a fresh, saline character, then continues oxidatively once the flor fades, fortified here to around 19 percent. Around thirty years in the criaderas and soleras system fractionally blends younger wine through stacked casks, converting ethanol to acetaldehyde and concentrating the wine through slow evaporation to build its nutty depth. The colour is a deep, luminous amber. The nose has robust intensity, dry and marked by dried fruit, hazelnut and almond. The palate is dry and immersive, with well balanced acidity and an extensive, enduring finish. Serve at around 13 to 14 degrees in a white wine glass, with roast poultry, mushrooms or hard nutty cheese.