Osborne VORS Venerable 1902 VORS Pedro Ximenez Sherry (500ML)
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It is made entirely out of ancient stocks of Pedro Ximenez wine. The grapes were all dried on mats to raisined state before tiny amounts of ultra sweet juice were pressed from them. After a few generations of ageing a miniscule amount of this essence is produced at 45% residual sugar. Despite the huge amount of sweetness it is still a balanced, drinkable and extremely complex wine.
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Decanter
Intense dark nose of nutella and espresso coffee, with hints of nuts and dark chocolate, the palate is seriously complex with layers of toasty spice, and caramel, polished wood and tobacco hints, finishing sweet and savoury with black toffee.
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Wine Spectator
Dark, velvety and caressing, with camphor, date, baker's chocolate, Black Forest cake and espresso notes all gliding along while candied ginger, molasses and treacle hints frame the finish. Exotic and distinctive, with enough tension to offset the headiness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Venerable Pedro Ximenez is produced from sun-dried Pedro Ximenez grapes aged in a solera created in 1902 for an average of 30 years. It is dark, opaque mahogany color, and a distinct nose with a lactic and toasted note of toffee and cappuccino coffee that stands it apart from others. The wine is dense and concentrated, very sweet and low in acidity, with a long aftertaste of dark chocolate and dried figs.
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Wine & Spirits
This is so dense and concentrated it feels like you could spread it with a knife. But put the texture aside for a moment and consider the tremendous complexity of the aroma: notes of figs, chestnuts, moist earth and caramelized nuts. Whatever you imagine, this vino-postre has it. One of a collection of rarities from Osborne, this comes from a solera established in 1902.
Founded in 1772, Osborne is one the most prestigious and oldest bodegas in all of Spain. Founder Thomas Osborne Mann was an Englishman whose arrival in Spain was driven by the growing demand in London for wines from Jerez. Upon arrival, he formed a partnership with Sir James Duff, British Consul in Cádiz, streamlining the export market for wines to England and other countries. A few years later, he established the first winery that would carry his name and quickly established the bodega as the pre-eminent producer of Sherry. Osborne has remained in family hands ever since, housed in the original centennial building located in the town of El Puerto de Santa María. Bolstered by their well-established legacy in Jerez and respect for the land and their fellow producers, Bodegas Osborne has been able to preserve some very old soleras. Until recently, most of these soleras were only ever consumed by the Osborne family and were never intended for commercialization. Starting in 2013, the Osborne family commercially released the VORS and Rare collection of sherries for the first time in many decades. These bottlings are extremely limited, and far exceed the 30 year minimum parameters for being labeled VORS; indeed, many of the soleras were begun in the 18th and 19th centuries. What makes this sherry unique? Amontillado 51-1a is an icon in the Sherry district. One of the oldest and finest examples of Amontillado. Solera was founded in 1830. The total Solera is composed of 52 barrels and only 1.5% of the wine is drawn yearly from each barrel. After the dismantling by Pernod Ricard of the Allied Domecq empire in 2005, the VORS soleras were bought by Osborne and moved to El Puerto de Santa Maria, where they now form part of the bodega/museum along with other amazing soleras. These old wines have been beautifully looked after by oenologist Ignacio Lozano, despite their lack of real profitability. They could never be sold for their real value, but help give prestige to the bodega and its other products.
Sherry is a fortified wine that comes in many styles from dry to sweet. True Sherry can only be made in Andalucía, Spain where the soil and unique seasonal changes give a particular character to its wines. The process of production—not really the grape—determine the type, though certain types are reserved for certain grapes. Palomino is responsible for most dry styles; Pedro Ximénez and Muscat of Alexandria are used for blending or for sweet styles.
Known more formally as Jerez de la Frontera, Jerez is a city in Andalucía in southwest Spain and the center of the Jerez region and sherry production. Sherry is a mere English corruption of the term Jerez, while in French, Jerez is written, Xérès. Manzanilla is the freshest style of sherry, naturally derived from the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.