Hidalgo Wellington Palo Cortado VORS 30 Year Old 500ml
GOLD MEDAL: Decanter World Wine Awards
GOLD MEDAL: International Wine Challenge
93 POINTS: Wine Spectator
"Lifted, fresh nose. Great complexity and brooding depth on the nose. Coffee, roasted nuts, sweet spice, smoked salt and truffle. Fiery spirit. Dry finish."
– International Wine Challenge
"Palo Cortado Sherry is the rarest style of the Spanish Sherry DO wines, and originally came about by accident during the wine's aging period. Because of this, Palo Cortado is often said to "occur" rather than be made, although modern winemaking practices have lead to greater reliability in recreating the process. It is made in limited quantities and only accounts for a fraction of annual Sherry production. The style can be said to sit somewhere between a Fino and Amontillado Sherry, having been partially aged under a yeast cap called a flor. The flor dies during the aging process and the wine is then aged oxidatively in a solera until it is bottled. In fact, the name Palo Cortado ("cut stick") comes from this distinction – casks carrying Fino are marked with a single vertical line called a palo. When the flor dies, the line gets a horizontal dash called a cortado. It is then fortified to at least 17 percent alcohol to equip it for continued oxidative aging."
– Wine-Searcher.com
ABV: 20%