La Guita Amontillado en Rama

La Guita, the house of Hijos de Rainera Pérez Marín, built its name on Manzanilla, but this Amontillado shows the next stage of Sherry ageing. Amontillado begins life like a Fino, under a veil of flor yeast that ages it biologically and keeps it pale and saline. Here that biological phase ran for ten years before the flor faded and the wine was exposed to oxygen for a further five years of oxidative ageing in the solera. That second stage is what gives Amontillado its colour and depth: slow contact with air through the cask converts the wine, deepening it to amber and developing roasted nut, dried fruit and toffee character while the dryness from the flor years remains. Bottled en rama, with minimal filtering, it keeps more of the texture and aroma drawn from the cask. The nose is layered, with hazelnut, walnut, toasted bread and orange peel over a saline base. The palate is dry, tasty and well balanced, as the source notes describe, with a long savoury finish. Serve lightly chilled at around 12C in a white wine glass. It suits rich savoury food and aged cheese.