Del Duque is a quaff as regal as it sounds. This particular solera (aging system) was started in 1835 with sherry casks bought by the Duke of Medinaceli, so there’s a chance that whispers of centuries-old sherry could end up in your bottle.
For the first 16 years of its life, this polished amontillado is snuggled under a blanket of flor (a protective layer of yeast that shelters some sherry wines from oxidation). Once the alcohol content climbs and the benevolent yeasts die off, influential oxygen creeps in to round out the aging process, ending with what master blender Antonio Flores describes as “Tio Pepe concentrated over 30 years.”
Intense, bone dry and incredibly lengthy, this is well worth the coin if you’re a sherry nut.
Price 375 ml/$38.95
Availability LCBO 694331
