Amontillado Pisador (The Wine Bang)

One of the TWB bottlings from Virgen de Palomares in Trebujena

Independent bottler The Wine Bang is a regular contributor of the Contubernio packs. I would even say they are slowly aiming for the crown of Equipo Navazos. I mean, Equipo Navazos is relying more on recurring bottlings these days. Florpower, the Manzanilla Navazos, the Fino from Valdespino, the Palo Cortado at Fernando de Castilla… great wines that return almost every year. The Wine Bang on the other hand is bringing out more hidden gems, wines that we hadn’t seen before.

Cooperativa Virgen de Palamares in Trebujena

One of their latest contributions is this Amontillado Pisador. It was selected from a solera at Cooperativa Agricola Virgen de Palomares in Trebujena. This municipality was once part of the production zone of the D.O., but since the new regulations of the D.O. it’s on the same level as Jerez and the other towns. Nowadays they’re renowned for high-quality mostos, perhaps more than for their sherry wines.

There are a couple of large cooperatives in the sherry region and although they are often a bit in the shadow of well-known bodegas, they have some excellent wines. In Trebujena there are actually no independent sherry-oriented bodegas, all wines are made by either Virgen de Palomares or their colleagues of Coop Albarizas.

This Amontillado is made with Palomino grapes supplied by their 650 growers. It is a selection of casks from a total of 12 in the solera. The average age should be around 15 years.

Amontillado Pisador (19%, The Wine Bang 2024, 37,5 cl, 395 btl.)

Nose: truckloads of roasted nuts. Hazelnuts and toasted almond, with hints of dark caramel and bits of milk chocolate. A hint of mocha and brown bread too. Maybe dark honey. Overall a rather oxidative Amontillado, but after a while brighter hints of citrus (peels) and a light

Mouth: dry, still showing a big oxidative side, with a dark, almost smoky and coffee-like undertone (not unlike some Oloroso) along with the sharpness and salinity that you’d expect from Amontillado. There’s a fatty texture that I often get from Trebujena. Warm (old) wood, as well as a drying hint of liquorice. Always lemons. Hints of figs as well, but without the sugars. Salinity comes out towards the finish and stays strong in the finish, along with a lightly bitter touch.

Availability: only through Contubernio. If you’ve missed the subscription box, you can also buy a single bottle for € 30.

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Summary: A very gastronomic wine, with a typical sharpness of biological ageing but also a firmly dark oxidative side, with lots of roasted nuts. As a somm, this would be a great selection for a meat dish or roasted vegetables in a tasting menu. Very good middle-aged Amontillado.

4

Really good

Tags: 19%, Amontillado, Club Contubernio, Cooperativa Virgen de Palomares, The Wine Bang, Trebujena

About the Author

Ruben is a Certified Sherry Educator who fell in love with sherry some 25 years ago, but switched to a higher gear in 2013 and started writing about it. Lived in Madrid for a couple of years, now back in Belgium. I also run a whisky blog over at www.whiskynotes.be