Parker hot enough for Spain

Yes, Ray has taken the words out of my mouth!

How can we possibly say that Mr. Parker and Co. are hot enough for Spain while he/they neglect the most underrated jewels of Spanish wine year after year? Ok., Jerez is peculiar, but this can never be a justification. It’s like ignoring Champagne just because is not red and has disgusting bubbles in it. Talking about Spanish wines without Sherry is like writing a book on Portuguese wines bypassing Porto.

You`re right Alvaro, but then again how many people actually know about Sherry? You’re talking here about probably the most complicated wine in the world. And as far a communication is concerned, the D.O. of Jerez just started to promote the real sherry a few years ago. Until the introduction of the VOS and VORS sherry, just a handful of wine freaks knew what real sherry was about. It’s a question of waiting for a new generation of wine lovers to discover sherry again.

Before that sherry production was more concentrated on medium dry, pale cream and stuff like that. If made well, a good medium or cream can be superb, but that’s the point, most sherries were sold at 3 liters for 5 euro. What image do you create with that? At least the sherry producers know now that they were wrong with their strategy, and are doing everything to regain some respect. I only hope it is not too late for many of the smaller bodegas. Because it is a shame to see that many of the old bodegas are turned into supermarkets, fitness centers and parking places.

Alvaro, you are comparing Sherry with Champagne. There’s one important difference. Champagne never lost her image. And sherry never had one. At least not the last 50 years. Sherry has spend million of pesetas, euro’s etc to create a new image. And did it work? If Parker doesn’t write about sherry, is he to blame, or should you blame the producers for screwing up in the 70s, 80s and 90’s. Nevertheless as I think of it, didn’t Parker taste some sherry’s lately. Wasn’t it Pedro Romero and maybe some Alvear from Montilla Moriles?

I love sherry, don’t understand me wrong. It’s the most underestimated wine in the world. I prefer to drink an old oloroso or amontillado when I cook. I love to drink a fresh crispy manzanilla or bone dry fino with almost everything. Jerez is the place where I fell in love with wine in 1992, the ferias and flamenco and I will always thank this town, the people and sherry in general for giving me an unforgettable time. Everytime I drink una copita I get emotional and feel like coming home in Jerez.

¡Viva el Sherry!

Guiri

Hi RayQ and Suiko,
maybe it’s a phase many Spanish producers are going through?
At this moment I see that many Spanish do very well. Wines (even Parker wines) with prices below 15 $ are worth trying. No re-packed reservas, but fruity wines, with character. I prefer to look at Levante and Castilla La Mancha or Aragon and Cataluña, not only Rioja and Ribera del Duero

Guiri

Hi Alvaro
All the wines with No Vintage tasted by the Wine Advocate until now.
Quite a few are from Jerez. I agree that tasting these sherries and knowing something about shery in general are two different items.
Parker still has some home work to do! But I think he knows that too. He’s not ignoring the sherry wines because he doesn’t like sherry.
He also depends on the samples the sherry producers and importers in the US send him. Maybe we should try to convince the sherry sector to attract Parker’s attention.

Guiri

Osborne Pedro Ximinez Viejo Vors 98 $130.00 ?
N.V. Osborne Solera P (delta) P Palo Cortado 97 $130.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Hidalgo Palo Cortado Viejo 97 $130.00 ?
N.V. Vega Sicilia Reserva Especial 97 $350.00 Early Maturity
N.V. Osborne Solera BC 200 Oloroso 96 $130.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas El Maestro Sierra Vinos Viejos Oloroso Extra Viejo 1 / 7 Vors 95 $160.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximinez Extra Viejo 95 $80.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas El Maestro Sierra Vinos Viejos Oloroso 1 / 14 Vors 93 $80.00 ?
N.V. Dominio de la Vega Arte Mayor 93 $50.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Hidalgo Amontillado Viejo 93 $110.00 ?
N.V. Emilio Lustau Jerez Palo Cortado, Almacenista Vides 93 $31.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas El Maestro Sierra Vinos Viejos Amontillado 1830 Vors 92 $80.00 ?
N.V. Emilio Lustau Amontillado del Puerto, Almacenista Gonzalez Obregon 92 $31.00 ?
N.V. Emilio Lustau Jerez Oloroso de Jerez Emperatriz Eugenia 92 $34.00 ?
N.V. Osborne Pedro Ximinez 1827 92 $20.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximinez 92 N/A ?
N.V. Bodegas El Maestro Sierra Oloroso 91 $16.00 ?
N.V. Osborne 10Rf Medium Oloroso 91 $16.00 ?
N.V. Emilio Lustau Oloroso Pata de Gallina, Almacenista Garcia Jarana Jerez 91 $31.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Hidalgo Faraon Oloroso 91 $19.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Hidalgo Alameda Cream 91 $15.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Masia Serra Ino 91 $85.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Pedro Romero Oloroso Dry 91 $10.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Pedro Romero Pedro Ximenez Extra Rich 91 $25.00 Mature
N.V. Avinyo Brut Nature Reserva 90 $22.00 ?
N.V. Avinyo Rosado 90 $22.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Pedro Romero Moscatel 90 $10.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Pedro Romero Amontillado Dry Rich 90 $10.00 ?
N.V. Colet Assemblage 90 $35.00 ?
N.V. Carmenet Cava Privat Opus Evolutium 90 $40.00 ?
N.V. Castell Roig Brut Rosat 90 $18.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Hidalgo Pastrana Manzanilla Pasada 90 $22.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Hidalgo Wellington Palo Cortado 90 $30.00 ?
N.V. Juve Y Camps Brut Rose 90 $17.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas El Maestro Sierra Amoroso 90 N/A ?
N.V. Bodegas El Maestro Sierra Fino 90 $14.00 ?
N.V. Emilio Lustau Jerez Rare Amontillado Escuadrilla 90 $20.00 ?
N.V. Emilio Lustau Jerez Rare Cream, Superior 90 $20.00 ?
N.V. Rotllan Torra Moscatel 90 $22.00 ?
N.V. Dominio de la Vega Brut Nature Reserva 90 $40.00 ?
N.V. Dominio de la Vega Brut Reserva Especial 90 $40.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Hidalgo Napoleon Amontillado 90 $19.00 ?
N.V. Osborne Bailen Dry Oloroso 90 $16.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Naveran Cava Brut Reserva 89 $12.00 Mature
N.V. Colet Grand Cuvee 89 $24.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Pedro Romero Cream Sherry Full Sweet 89 $10.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Pedro Romero Manzanilla Aurora 89 $10.00 ?
N.V. Avinyo Brut Reserva 89 $16.00 Mature
N.V. Bodegas Pedro Romero Fino Pale Dry 88 $10.00 ?
N.V. Colet Tradicional 88 $19.00 ?
N.V. Castell Roig Cava 88 $15.00 ?
N.V. Colet A Priori 88 $15.00 ?
N.V. Celler Vilafranca Casteller Rose Cava 88 $10.00 ?
N.V. Osborne Fino Quinta 88 $16.00 ?
N.V. Juve Y Camps Brut Grand Cru 88 $45.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla 88 $12.00 ?
N.V. Celler Vilafranca Cava Casteller 87 $10.00 ?
N.V. Bodegas Pedro Romero Amontillado Medium Dry 87 $10.00 ?
N.V. Covides Gran Gesta Cava Rose Brut 87 $16.00 ?
N.V. Gran Sarao Rose 87 $9.00 Mature
N.V. Bodegas Pedro Romero Oloroso Medium 87 $10.00 ?
N.V. Segura Viudas Brut Rose 87 $9.00 ?
N.V. Segura

I can’t get into this conversation. Visions of Parkerista wines and Anna Nicole Smith keep getting mixed up in my head. What was this thread originally about? Was it wine?

I don’t catch the Anna Nicole Smith metaphor ;-)))