Amontillado 8 (Mar 7)
MAR7 is a small despacho, a wine store at the heart of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, founded in 2014. It is housed in the Calle Mar n°7 which used to be the headquarters of the Bodegas Pedro Romero since the early 19th century (see my review of an old Manzanilla Aurora), right in front of the Bodegas Argüeso.
The owner, María José Romero, is a descendant of Pedro Romero and owns a biodynamically managed vineyard in the area. At first she started selling wines a granel (in bulk, directly from the barrel) but later she also developed a range of bottled wines with nicely minimal label designs.
They have a whole range of sherry wines in the MAR 7 brand, starting with a Manzanilla and Manzanilla Pasada, as well as Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez. The real gems of the house are three old sherry wines, an old Cream, Palo Cortado and Amontillado Viejo, but these are highly limited.
Today we’re trying the Amontillado 8, which is selected from the soleras at Delgado Zuleta and aged around 8 years.
Amontillado (18,5%, MAR 7)
Nose: clear traces of Manzanilla still present (sea air freshness and a slightly bitter hint of flor) but also generous Amontillado notes. Polished oak, a little hay, almonds and hazelnuts, both with a roasted edge. Just a touch of dried apricot in the background.
Mouth: beautiful mix of acidity, coastal notes and a touch of caramel. Some peppery spice as well, joined by a good dose of warm wood. The barrel influence gives it an above average intensity, I would say. A long finish with some slightly bitter herbal touches.
Availability: around € 20 directly from the despacho. Also available from Bodeboca for instance. I bought mine from Master of Malt but they only seem to have the Manzanilla in stock at the moment.
Summary: A good middle-aged Amontillado. It's nice to see the mix of coastal Manzanilla notes with warmer, more wood-driven elements on the palate. Quite a powerful wine, I paired it to a spicy Indian dish and it certainly stood up to it.
3.5
Really good
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
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