Agostado 2017 Cortado (Cota 45)

Experimental Cortado, an old style of sherry brought back by Ramiro Ibáñez

If the name Agostado doesn’t ring a bell, then Encrucijado might. It is the same wine, but starting with the 2017 vintage the name has changed due to some copyright issue. Check my Encrucijado 2012 review for more detailed background information.

In short the concept is to make a kind of 19th century style of Palo Cortado. Winemaker Ramiro Ibáñez does this by working with Palomino but also the nearly forgotten varieties Uva Rey and Perruno. These ripen much later than Palomino and have higher levels of malic acid, leading to a more difficult flor development and therefore more tendency towards oxidative ageing. The first vintages of this wines had more ancient varieties but Ramiro downsized to get the most balanced result. In the old days bodegas already understood that the selection of grapes had a big impact on the resulting style of sherry wine.

The year 2016 was relatively fresh and even, but 2017 on the other hand was hot throughout, with good rainfall in spring and the earliest harvest ever recorded. This led to more sugar and

Encrucijado (and then Agostado) was one of the first wines in the Marco de Jerez to bring back the ancient styles as they were created in the 19th century. For more information on these ancient styles of sherry, see my article Ancient sherry typology: Palma, Cortado, Raya… Cortado may remind you of the modern Palo Cortado but it’s not exactly the same style.

Agostado 2017 is made without fortification and aged as a vintage wine (without the use of a solera). The wine reached a natural strength of 14% alc./vol. so it falls out of the sherry regulations. Naturally this has some subtle residual sugar.

Agostado 2017 – Cortado (14%, Bodegas Cota 45 2021)

Nose: rich and elegant, showing a higher weight and buttery sweetness than a Fino. Hints of melons, baked apples, with honeyed almonds and sweetened chamomile tea. Then also coastal elements and some minty freshness. Light hints of warm wood. Flor is noticeable too, as hints of wet chalk and haybales. In fact it comes close to an oxidized Fino at some point, as if you left a bottle of Fino too long on the shelf.

Mouth: part Fino, showing bruised apples and other orchard fruits, hints of sweet lemon juice, straw and chamomile tea. Subtle sweetness comes out, but at the same time more acidity than I remembered from Encrucijado 2012. A light buttery element (brioche), as well as salinity and nice mineral notes. Looking at it as a white wine, this has an amazing depth and richness, with a bigger oxidative side. That said, if you approach this from the perspective of a Palo Cortado, it shows an amazing freshness, with a fairly subtle oxidation but a lot more brightness and elegance.

Availability: newer vintages are still available from Gourmet Hunters or Decantalo for instance. Around € 40-45.

Summary: Agostado can be explained as a mix of a white wine and Palo Cortado. Contrary to modern Palo Cortado, it is made with a noticeable biological side and some overripe asoleo character. Also it is quite young, keeping the oxidation at bay. A kind of overage, fatty Fino, very interesting and one of the great examples of these ancient styles.

4

Very good

Tags: 14%, 2017, Agostado, Cortado, Cota 45, Ramiro Ibañez

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