Other Wines

This is rich on the nose, with candied fruit, fruitcake, toffee and maple syrup. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a brilliant aftertaste of fruit and caramel. Lasts for minutes on your palate. - WS92

93pts Wine Advocate:
"The much sweeter, honeyed, syrupy 2008 Pedro Ximenez de Anada exhibits a dark amber color along with notes of roasted nuts, molassas, Chinese black tea and honeysuckle. Rich, unctuous and full, it is best served slightly chilled after dinner."

Alvear was founded in 1729 and remains under the control of the same family. They own 307 acres of vineyards in the Montilla-Moriles appellation. Anyone who visits the area recognizes the incredible white soils "albariza or albero", which are dominated by chalk/limestone and the key to the great acids these products possess.

92 pts Wine Spectator
Solid, with a polished set of violet, plum cake, blackberry reduction and ganache flavors cruising through and an echo of Black Forest cake lingering on the finish. This would do nicely in a decanter over a weekend. Drink now through 2027.

"The dark amber-hued non-vintage East India Solera is essentially an old Oloroso blended with an old Pedro Ximenez, which gives it a sweet character. It offers more mature notes of maple syrup, brown sugar, spice box, raisin and chocolate beer nuts, and its terrific balancing acidity cuts through the sweetness. This delicious effort is best drunk after the meal." 96pts WA

A blend of 12-year-old Don Nuno Oloroso (80%) and San Emilio PX which is also about 12 years old. One of the great icons of Lustau. Its aging process mimics that of some 17th century wines developed during transatlantic journeys to distant Spanish colonies. To achieve this, after aging separately in their own soleras, the Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez that comprise it, are combined and undergo a second aging process in a solera of 33 barrels at the Sacristia de Bodegas Lustau, with its elevated humidity and temperatures that replicate the climatic conditions that the wines would have experienced on their journeys.

Emilio Lustau SA was founded in 1896 by Don Jose Ruiz-Berdejo. In the beginning, Lustau was essentially an Almacenista, a modest estate with small holdings that sold most of its wine to large exporting Bodegas. It was not until the 1950s that Lustau became Emilio Lustau SA, and it joined the prestigious ranks of a select group of exporters of Sherry. In the early 1980s, Emilio Lustau SA, then under the management of the late Rafael Balao, became one of the most innovative companies in Jerez, launching the "Almacenista" line and creating the distinctive bottle that we know today. Lustau is now widely considered one of the finest producers of Sherry, with their Almacenista line breaking new ground in hand-crafted, boutique wines. These Sherries, drawing on rare and marvelous wines held by small producers, are some of the finest Sherries made today.

Lustau offers a wide array of Sherries; bone-dry Finos are wonderful matches with garlic-y shrimp and langostinos. Racy Amontillados balance power with finesse and are wonderful with nuts, olives, cheeses, and jamon Serrano. Powerful Olorosos can be served during a meal and match well with traditional soups and stews. Of course, the wide range of dessert wines from Lustau are unparalleled; the elegant East India Cream Sherry is as soft as silk, the Moscatels offers a delightful citrus edge that keeps the wines lively on the palate while the dark Pedro Ximenez is best served as a "syrup" over vanilla ice cream, pancakes or waffles.

"The NV 20 Year Old Tawny Port was bottled in 2015 and comes in at 111 grams per liter of residual sugar. On first taste, this was simply Taylor: big, concentrated and serious. It was all that and a bag of chips, but over a couple of day it also demonstrated far more elegance. It seemed arguably better balanced than the 10 year old Tawny this issue. Simply filling the mouth on first taste, this shows fine complexity for its age and it does everything else rather brilliantly. Succulent and inviting, it finishes with waves of concentrated flavors. The fruit remains lifted and and it has a bright, transparent feel. It is hard to resist, often seeming like a bit of an overachiever. It's not the best tawny Taylor's submitted this issue, but it might be the best intersection of quality and price." 93pts WA

Silky and plush, this tawny sees about 3 years of barrel aging in small oak casks, giving it a rich, amber hue and deliciously decadent notes of butterscotch, toffee, vanilla, and dried fig. For port-lovers, this a great every-day sipper for the price -- a little bit of luxury in the middle of the week! -- PJ

Fresh and fruit-centric, the price here may be super accessible for everyday, but its treatment by this famed Douro producer is nothing less than classically old-school. The point in a young, vintage-blended ruby is to keep the fruit lively and juicy, with a texture that feels velvety-luxurious in your mouth and is nothing less than a pleasure on the tongue. Taylor Fladgate's Special Ruby NV port sees up to four years in large, oak casks and when you sip it, you can really feel that intense softness and supple texture from not rushing it through the process. It's got pretty notes of black and red plums and bright cherry, and is oh-so irresistible alongside some pungent, tangy Cashel blue cheese. -- PJ

Spicy cherry, minerals and maple syrup on the nose. At once smooth and structured, with excellent intensity and a firm backbone. Not especially sweet. Long, fairly powerful and slightly harsh on the finish. - IWC

A complex Sherry, exhibiting burnt wood, oxidation and caramel in a medium-bodied, moderately structured package. - WS87

Named after a famous samurai of the region nicknamed Suigei because he drank like a whale, this sake has a strong flavor and a crisp, refreshing finish. Its high rice-polishing ratio compares favorably with other Junmai sakes, and this sake is easily paired with a range of dishes. 15% abv

#45 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2021!

97 pts WIne Spectator
Juicy and muscular, with a ball of plum paste, warmed fig compote and black currant reduction flavors that need time to unwind. Ample graphite- and bramble-accented grip underscores the fruit on the finish, while a ganache note finds room to strut its stuff in the end. Should be one of the longer-lived wines of the vintage. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta C??o, Sous??o and Tinta Roriz.

The NV Contrabandista is a blend of the style called medium dry that is usually a very commercial category of cheap sherries. It is an off-dry blend of Palomino produced in an Amontillado way (biological + oxidative aging) and around 5% Pedro Ximenez with 30 grams of residual sugar which averages 18 years of age. It's has a mahogany color, with a bright amber border with aromas of dates and raisins that give a sapid, bittersweet sensation in a medium-bodied palate of moderate sweetness. This is easy to drink.

"Firm, fresh and complex, with an array of glazed apricot, ginger, maple and cream flavors. Features notes of truffle and mineral on the crisp finish. Drink now. 200 cases imported." Wine Spectator

Could use a little more complexity, but fresh and fruity, with lots of flavors. Medium sweetness. - WS81

Lean and restrained, with focused spicy plum and chocolate flavors, gaining some interest in the tension between sweetness and alcohol. - WS78

It's such a shame that white port is such an unknown to so many dessert-wine lovers. In part, it's because of that dreadful barely vinified deluge, Thunderbird, but let's pretend that version of white port never existed. And let's assume that only this one did. Ramos's version is a bright, golden delight, with notes of honeysuckle, white flowers, apples and pears. Pop it in the 'fridge for a half hour or so to get a little chill on it and serve with a nice, slender slice of tarte tatin. -- PJ

Founded in 1820, and today housed in cellars that date from 1619, this small jewel of a company is still owned by the same family, its vineyard holdings built up over time through a series of marriages with other wine-producing families. Displaying a nutty, slightly toasty nose, with flavours of hazelnuts, and orange peel. The high acidity makes the wine taste dry on the palate, with a smooth, long, and memorable finish.

There's something so luscious and decadent about this fruit-forward port, but with an underlying elegance and complexity that makes it stand out from the NV crowd. Ripe black and red plums, fresh Mission figs, and plump, juicy raisins dominate the palate here, with a velvety texture that won't quit. Grab the closest bar of good dark chocolate and have at it. -- PJ

This layered sweet wine displays a deep, glossy brown color and is truly indulgent. The nose features raisin, pumpkin pie spice, tobacco leaf and pure sugar cane notes. The palate is rich, expansive and beautifully balanced with honeyed, almost milk chocolatey raisin and smoke flavors. It is a very long and elegant PX and finishes with expressive coffee, tea leaf and buttered popcorn tones. Fantastic with blue cheese, toasted nuts, dried fruit, poured over vanilla ice cream or for something truly decadent, pair it with chocolate glazed doughnuts, sticky buns or Paris-Brest pastry. - PJ

Oxidative aging. Criaderas and solera system for a period of 4-6 years in oak barrels .