NV Bodegas Baron - Jerez-Xeres-Sherry Micaela Palo Cortado (750ml)

Bodegas Barón was founded in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in 1895 by Manuel Barón Fernández, who acquired old soleras from a local almacenista, though the family's connection to Sherry through marriage stretches back nearly four centuries. Ten generations later the winery remains family-owned, now stored across nearly ten thousand barrels in the historic barrio alto of Sanlúcar, with roughly 140 hectares of its own vineyards. The Micaela range sits at the entry level of Barón's several product lines, alongside older, rarer series reserved for the house's oldest stocks.

Palo Cortado is one of Jerez's most unusual styles, and this bottling begins like a Fino, fortified to encourage the growth of flor. At some point in the aging process, the flor fails to develop as expected, and the wine is reclassified to age oxidatively instead, a shift that traditionally happens by chance rather than design. In this case the wine ages under flor for about a year before moving into oxidative aging in large oak vessels, reaching an average age of around 25 years by the time it's bottled.

The result is a complex, richly layered Sherry with aromas of toasted hazelnut, toffee, caramelized nougat, and orange peel, along with subtle coastal and hay-like notes left over from its time under flor. The palate is dry, nutty, and full of character. Serve it with grilled mushrooms, game stews, foie gras, or aged cheeses.