Tuesday 7 July 2015

Walnut Brown 19.5%, Williams & Humbert

Appearance
Very deep blacky brown fading through burnt umber to amber at the rim, legs.
Nose
Big and soft, bursting with plump juicy raisins and a pronounced Moscatel note. Smells really sweet with hints of alcohol, leather, caramel and burnt sugar.
Palate
Full, mellow, richly textured and luscious with more PX notes than the nose, pasa, caramel, hints of molasses, miel de caña (reduced cane syrup). Very sweet but softer and with slightly less grip than a traditional Cream due to more sweet wine in the blend, vey good length.
Comments
This classic Sherry is a style from days gone by when label descriptors often referred to the colour. It is made from Oloroso blended with Moscatel and PX at the sobretablas stage where the wines are young and then ages as a blend through its own solera for at least 4 years - though it appears to be older. It contains 142 g/l sugars and is there fore classed by the Consejo as a Cream. (Brown Sherry is no longer an official category). Included in the blend is Vino de Color which gives the wine that deep colour and makes it look old. Color is a blend of fermenting must with concentrated must reduced over a direct fire, has a strength of about 8%/vol. and is aged in soleras. It is intensely dark and is used either to darken a wine or to ensure colour consistency in commercial blends. I heard that W&H were going to stop producing this wine, but there was an outcry, especially in Scotland where it remains very popular, and they have continued to produce it.
Price
About £14.00 fairly widely available in the UK, distributors are Ehrmanns



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