Sherries

Winemaker Description 

Leonor is a 12 year old Palo Cortado Sherry and described as the wild child of Jerez. It shows a light mahogany color with golden tones and a slight orange rim. On the nose intense and complex with notes of hazlenut perfectly balanced with aromas of bitter orange and mature oak. On the palate powerful and intense with toasted notes yet smooth and silky. Due to its power and structure this wine is perfect with mature cheeses and stong meats such as venison. Serve chilled.

Expert Reviews 

93 Points James Suckling | A very elegant example of this rare type of Sherry, which combines the best of Fino freshness with Oloroso richness. Long finish with delicate dried-fruit and toasted-nut character. Drink now. Aged for 12 years in cask. Drink now.

92 Points Wine Spectator | Bright, with fennel seed, Brazil nut, green tea, ginger and hazelnut husk notes that are racy and dry from start to finish. Dried green fig accents add a subtle seduction on the finish.

91 Points Decanter | Aromas of caramel and curry spices. Milk chocolate on the palate with a soft texture and delicate body. A very harmonious wine with a long and spicy finish.

91 Points Wine & Spirits | Elegant and refined, with soft touches of candied cherries, walnuts and almonds, this is a textbook Palo Cortado. Aged 12 years in botas, it falls halfway between Amontillado and Oloroso in flavor, but much closer to the former. It needs only smoked trout.

90 Points Wine Enthusiast | This dry Sherry is a touch hot, with alcohol swirling around the glass, but there’s also complex, welcoming aromas of almond, apricot and toffee. The palate is appropriately rich, with flavors of caramel, toasted nuts and buttered toast. A finish with walnut, truffle and mushroom flavors urges contemplation.

Winemaker Description 

Certainly! The Herederos De Argueso Jerez-Xeres-Sherry Amontillado is a dry and nutty white wine from Andalucia, Spain. It has sharp peanutty aromas and a tawny color with hints of orange. On the palate, it offers sour citrus fruit flavors, burnt nuts, and cocoa, finishing dry and chalky. You can find it in a 375ml half bottle for around $25. It’s a delightful choice for those who appreciate intense, tangy flavors. 🍷🥜🍊

Argeso Amontillado is an exquisite fortified wine of subtlety and grace. On the nose, it unfurls a spectrum of delicate scents reminiscent of hazelnuts and aromatic herbs, with a distinctive hint of dark tobacco.

Upon tasting, its lightness astonishes, yet it retains a marked dryness and a complexity that unfolds gently. This Amontillado exemplifies the artful dance between simplicity and intricacy, presenting a sophisticated and approachable taste experience. 

Winemaker Description 

Tawny gold colour, this elegant and classic Amontillado is pungent and aromatic, with oaky notes. Nutty on the palate with a hint of sweetness and a lingering dry finish. Winemaker Description. 

Expert Review 

Wine Spectator 93 Points | This has lots of range, with ginger, date, toasted almond, blood orange, singed sandalwood and green tea notes all allied to finely beaded acidity, letting everything drape beautifully on the finish. Alluring on its own, but this really begs for some Cabrales. Drink now.Wine Advocate 91 points The NV Almacenista Jose Luis Gonzalez Obregon Oloroso del Puerto produced from Palomino grapes and aged in Puerto de Santa Maria by the sea, has a chestnut color with a green-amber edge, clean sweet notes of roasted nuts, cake and oranges, a medium- to full-bodied palate with a smoky character and great length.

Winemaker Description 

Harveys Bristol Cream features flavors of roasted nuts and raisins, with a subtly spicy finish. Harveys Bristol Cream is usually served well chilled as an aperitif, as an after-dinner drink straight, or on the rocks with a wedge of lime or slice of orange.

The ice lessens the viscosity and the citrus lowers the sweetness to create a refreshing drink. As a dessert wine, serve with cheesecake, flan, bread pudding or crème brulée. 

Winemaker Description 

Luminous amber colours. The aromas are pungent, almondy and persistent. On the palate it is slightly sweet, refined and with hints of dry flavours from the ageing. In short, the characteristics of an exceptional amontillado.

Straw-yellow, bright and transparent . Pungent and delicate. Light and dry on the palate.

Winemaker Description 

The Cortado La Barajuela 2017 comes as the Palma Cortada y la Raya, from Viña el Corregidor, from the Sub-pago de Carrascal Alto, in the Pago de Carrascal. The harvest was carried out in the middle of September in the later passes, selecting the fully ripe bunches.

Producer Description 

Medium deep amber colour. Rather fruity nose of prune, fig with earl grey tea and candied orange. Rather sweet palate with a creamy texture, some nutty complexity, and rather long finish. 

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 88 Points | A pungent, dry and bracing fino, full of iodine, apple and walnut flavors. Light-bodied, with a clean, walnut aftertaste. Drink now. 1,000 cases imported.

Expert Reviews

92 Points Decanter | Complex, refined style, nutty and fruity, expressive, subtle. Balanced, deep, gently bitter, long. Textbook fino! One sip and you never want to leave.

91 Points Wine & Spirits | Most of my notes—and the notes from Chris Struck, my fellow taster—are about food rather than the wine itself. Or maybe the wine tastes like game, like partridge meat, nutmeats, sautéed onions deglazed with lime juice. Complicated, fascinating, reductive and delicious, this is a wine to pour with any of the above.

Winemaker Description 

Pale straw color with greenish reflections, bright and clean. This is a Jerez style Fino: fresh, mineral and pungent on the nose with almonds and bakery notes. Dry and crisp on the palate, yet rich and with a full finish.

Aged under a veil of yeast, called “flor”, in Bodega Las Cruces in Jerez de la Frontera. The inland climate in the town of Jerez de la Frontera provides a more rounded and fuller style of wine.

A perfect dry aperitif, ideal with fresh seafood, smoked salmon and fish. Amazing when paired with Ibérico ham. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description 

Matusalem is a 30 year old blend of Oloroso and PX. It shows an intense mahogany color with profound aromas of dried fruits, raisins, spices and mature oak. On the palate it is smooth, sweet, long and velvety. This wine has an interesting bittersweet finish due to the sweetness of the PX and the bitter tannins from the oak. Ideal with mature cheeses and blue cheese such as Stilton. Also perfect as a dessert wine with apple pie. Serve chilled. 

Expert Reviews 

96 Points Decanter | Perfumed with inviting layers of coffee, almond savoury herb and spice, then to a luxurious palate of caraway, orange zest, molasses and bitter chocolate.

94 Points Wine Enthusiast | Forget about Sherry styles, Matusalem operates in its own zone with its own rules. An intense, smoky nose shows charred barrel notes and prune aromas. A rich but snappy palate is not the least bit sticky, while deep flavors of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and molasses finish with grace.

90 Points Wine Spectator | Walnut, halva, raisin and buckwheat honey notes are layered, backed by hints of bitter almond and toasted pecan. Shows good energy for a cream style, with the bitter edge imparting length and cut.

Expert Review 

James Suckling 90 Points | This is the prototypical fino sherry with all the salty and yeasty character you expect. Also dried-apple, pear and lemon-zest character. Generous, but very dry and salty on the palate with a refreshing touch of austerity. Where are the olives? Drink now, if possible from a freshly opened bottle.

Winemaker Description 

Pale yellow with golden glints. Slightly cloudy as it contains flor in suspension, reflecting it’s having been bottled ‘En Rama’. Complex aromas of almonds, lemon and floral notes combined with sea spray and minerals. 

The palate is concentrated and sightly creamy with a salty tang and impressive depth of flavour boasting toasted almonds, apple skins and bready undertones. The finish is rounded and alluring, clearly harking back to its origins in the albariza soil yet also reflecting the Significance of its biological ageing. This wine is the purest definition of the vines and the winery. 

Our Notes

Oscar, 67 Wine Buyer, writes:  In 2015, I was one of only three invitees from the United States selected to participate in the prestigious Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Sherry Master program. This incredible experience allowed me to earn certification as a Sherry Master through their renowned education program. To this day, it remains one of the highlights of my professional wine career.

I was captivated by the vineyards, the historic Sherry bodegas, and the wealth of knowledge I gained under the guidance of the legendary Antonio Flores, Master Blender at Bodegas Gonzalez Byass.

Fast forward to 2025, and I am thrilled to invite all wine aficionados to explore our newly revamped Sherry selection at the shop. We have curated an extensive collection of over 100 selections ranging from delightfully crisp, saline-driven Finos and Manzanillas to complex and rare Amontillados, Olorosos, and Palo Cortados. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming Sherry tastings and other exciting events celebrating the magic of El Marco de Jerez.

Today, I'm especially delighted to feature one of my favorite Finos, typically available only in the spring: Ti­o Pepe Fino en Rama Saca 2023. Bottled in the spring of 2023, this en rama Fino undergoes minimal filtration and remains unfined, preserving its raw, expressive character. Hand-selected by Antonio Flores, this release showcases a vintage label from the Gonzalez Byass archives, making it a collector's item.

The wine itself is bursting with aromas and flavors of green olives, citrus, saline notes, and delicate yeasty nuances. Bone dry and intensely flavorful, it pairs beautifully with cured meats, cheeses, and grilled skewers of shrimp and calamari.

Producer Description 

The Antique release of Fernando de Castilla Fino is heavier than the Classic. Rich and complex with notes of citrus fruit and a classic salty tang.

The company specializes in natural, unblended and unfined products as supreme examples of the ancient winemaking traditions of the Jerez region. The vineyards (farmed without pesticides or herbicides) and winery are all located in Jerez, all sherries are estate bottled. 

Producer Description 

The Maestro Sierra Oloroso, aged 15 years, is dark amber with flavors of walnuts, butterscotch and figs. Dry but with great intensity.

Winemaker Description 

Alvear Fino is straw in color. Clean and tangy with a refreshing finish and a softness which makes it delightfully easy to drink. Perfect as a chilled Aperitif, accompanied by Tapas of olives or shellfish. Serve Chilled. Treat as a white wine. 

Winemaker Description 

This Manzanilla spends nine years under flor and is the most intensely aromatic bottling. Good freshness and balance on the palate, finishing with a salty twist and a bitter note. Only 1,500 bottles made.

Expert Review

The Wine Advocate 90 Points | The non-vintage Fino offers up aromas and flavors of sea salt and roasted nuts. It is excellent as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to sushi. 

Winemaker Description 

The Fino Jerez Seco from Emilio Hidalgo shines with its refreshingly light elegance and the typical Flor note that exudes pure enjoyment

Enjoy this exquisite sherry as a perfect aperitif or a harmonious accompaniment to fine tapas, salads, or fresh seafood.

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 89 Points | There's a richness here offsetting the firm structure, but the iodine and roasted walnut notes shine on the finish. Caramel, burnt molasses and tobacco round out the flavor spectrum. Drink now. 1,750 cases made.

Winemaker Description 

Mahogany colour with iodine tinged edges. Strong and nutty, with hints of varnish, caramel and vanilla. Very dry, well-rounded structure, with faint hints of saline, a slightly bitter and long- lasting finish.

Winemaker Description 

La Guita Amontillado en Rama is an exceptional and complex sherry with a refined balance of dryness, saltiness and flavor, making it a refined choice for lovers of this classic Andalusian wine. This wine has its origins in the D.O. region. Jerez-Xérès-Sherry and is a perfect reflection of the rich tradition of fortified wines in southern Spain.

The La Guita Amontillado en Rama combines the best aspects of biological aging (under the so-called veil in bloom) and oxidative aging, making it one of the most complete amontillado sherries. It uses 100% Palomino Fino grapes, which originate in the Miraflores and Costeros vineyards of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in the heart of the Jerez region. Founded in 1852 by Domingo Pérez Marín, the winery remains true to its origins and still makes sherry in the tradition of the family business. The winery is now part of the José Estévez group.

The aging of this wine takes place in the unique system of criaderas and soleras, which ensures a refined and profound taste. The wine is aged for an average of 15 years, of which 10 years under biological aging and 5 years under oxidative aging.

Producer Description 

This hazelnut colored, oxidized sherry showcases aromas of baking spices and dried candied fruits. It finishes dry with notes of fresh salt-roasted walnuts.

Cruz del Mar Oloroso is produced exclusively with palomino grapes grown by César’s family in the Balbaína and Miraflores pagos (vineyards). After harvesting, the grapes are crushed and undergo alcoholic fermentation in traditional cement vats, which naturally regulate the temperature.

Fuller-bodied musts are chosen for Oloroso, and after being fortified to 18% ABV., the wine is aged oxidatively in old barrels in a bodega in the heart of Chipiona. Cruz del Mar Oloroso spends an average of 12 years in the solera process before being bottled en rama, without fining or filtration.

Winemaker Description 

Fresh and lively, with notes of dried herbs, stone fruit, and citrus zest. Bone dry and mouthwatering, with a long finish

Winemaker Description 

Made with the grape varieties Pedro Ximénez (70%) and Moscatel (30%). Dry White Wine of the Pedro Ximénez de los Montes de Málaga variety D.O. Sierras de Málaga by Victoria Ordóñe. 

Winemaker Description

Medium dry with a full body. Blended and aged for a mellow, nutty flavor. 

Winemaker Description 

Has a peachy nose and a mellow palate, round and gentle with hints of orange peel, nuts and varnish. It could be around 20 years of age, so it's not a super old wine. It's approachable, super clean and defined and a textbook example of the category. This has 19% alcohol.

Winemaker Description 

The treasures of El Maestro Sierra are many. From the back of their building they have a clear view of the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1832 the master carpenter José Antonio Sierra founded El Maestro Sierra. As one of the top coopers in the area, José Antonio was the person who made the barrels for all of the big Sherry houses. After years of making barrels for everyone else, he came to the conclusion that he could produce Sherries that were better than what the big Sherry houses were cranking out, so he went about opening up his own little winery.

This little up-start Sherry producer was not welcomed in the world of nobility-owned Sherry houses and so the local gentry did everything they could to stop him. Fortunately the quality of his sherry prevailed over their efforts and José Antonio Sierra became one of the top Almacenistas (stockholders) of high-quality Sherries. Poking fun at his struggle, the label depicts an allegorical fox hunt with the nobles hunting El Maestro Sierra’s fox.

This Amontillado is aged for a total of 12 years under flor and oxidatively in American oak casks. Very explosive aromas of salts and almonds. The palate offers similar flavors in a very elegant framework.

Winemaker Description 

González Byass Solera 1847 is a sweet Cream with aromas of figs and raisins and touches of wood and vanilla. The palate is velvety, with notes of caramel and well-integrated wood. 

Winemaker Description 

This extra fine cream sherry comes exclusively from select vineyards in the "Zona de Jerez Superior", the world's finest area for production of sherry. 

It is aged through the time honoured Savory & James solera system which was established in 1780. Finally it reaches full maturity; delicate and at the same time unusually rich and delicious.

Expert Review

Winemaker Description 

González Byass Alfonso Oloroso Seco is a wine made from Palomino Fino from their own vineyards.

As soon as the grapes arrive at the winery, they are softly pressed to obtain the free-run must (mosto yema), which will be used to make this wine. After fermentation, classification and fortification at 18% vol., the wine enters the "solera", where it will remain for an average of eight years in American oak butts, following the traditional "solera" system. The wine ages in full contact with the air, which allows its complete oxidation.