González Byass Viña AB Amontillado Seco

González Byass Viña AB Amontillado Seco comes from González Byass, founded in Jerez in 1835 by Manuel María González Ángel and still the defining name of the region. It is pure Palomino Fino from the albariza chalk soils that surround Jerez, whose reflective white surface and deep water retention ripen the grape through a hot summer while holding its acidity. Viña AB begins as a Fino, ageing under a veil of flor yeast that consumes oxygen and contributes a saline, bready character. The flor is then allowed to fade and the wine is refortified, opening a second oxidative stage that develops nuttiness and amber colour, the hallmark of an Amontillado. Eight years of fractional ageing through the solera blend the biological and oxidative phases into a balanced whole. It is amber and lively on the palate, showing toasted nuts, almond, dried apricot and toasted bread, the acidity keeping it fresh and the finish clean and dry. Serve cool at around 13 degrees in a copita, with cured ham, aged cheese, mushroom dishes or oily fish.