1876 Facts About Sherry by Henry Vizetelly

Hie Bodegas in the old Moorish Quarter of Jerez. 69-

half-way up the scale, when they began to reveal a bitter taste, although still retaining a peculiar softness. The gradations of coloui- and flavoui* were perfect, and very minute. "With every year ofincreasing agethe light tint of the wine slightly darkened, just as its flavour grew the merest trifle more pronounced. Perhaps the most curious wines in Senor Gonzalez'collection are some dating from 1809 down to comparatively recent years, stored in the Bodega de la Eosa. Here we tasted some remark ably fine wine from a solera originated in 1847,and then some very old wine known as Methusalem,of whose great age there is no record. It is exceedingly dark in colour and pungent and spirituous in flavom', as becomes a wine of such archaic origin. Its neighboui', Noah, not boasting the same length of years, could be partaken of mth less hesitation, although a still rich powerful wine. We next tried some fine old-fashioned East India sherry which had received a small addition of dulce and vino de color, and had long since been its voyage to India and back. A captivating wine called La Eeyna,of a bright deep topaz tint,had great body,and was deliciouslyround and mellow; while a wine of 1828 proved too dry to be palatable, and,like most of the older vintages, was only used, we were told, for blending. Passingfrom the Bodega de la Eosa into the Bodega Eeservada—the last of the series—we were invited to taste the favourite wine of a former partner in the firm,and were surprised to find that,although ofthe juvenile age of two-and-thiriy years, it had acquired a peculiarly disagreeable flavour too much like that of tar. Some remarkable wine,named after ISTapoleon III., and believed to be fully a century old,was next offered to us,and proved to be one of those venerable concentrated wines whose powerful flavour almost takes away the breath. It had passed through the amontillado and oloroso stages, and had now got into what is known as the old sherry type—that is to say,it was very deep in colour,full and pungent to the taste, and could boast of a powerful aroma. After these excessively dry wines we essayed some muscatel from the Ducha vineyard. At five years old the wine was very soft and luscious; at eight years it