61 Dorado

There is a new NV 61 Dorado en Rama, a selection from 13 barrels (out of 100) trying to assemble approximately 50/50 of Palomino and Verdejo, while the regular 61 Dorado is mostly Verdejo. This certainly feels older; it's darker in color and has 17% alcohol (versus the 15% of the regular, which is bottled once per year but without indication of bottling date or "saca"). This comes from barrels that are filled to five-sixths of their capacity, so the wine ages with flor in a biological way during part of the year and without it in a more oxidative fashion during some other months. That must explain the nuttier character of the nose, which made me think of an Amontillado, combining some biological and oxidative characteristics. It's amber rather than golden (dorado means "golden" in Spanish) and has a powerful and persistent palate where you notice some concentration from evaporation, and the wine has the character of old wine. It's tasty, long and characterful with a warmish finish. Unfortunately, there's no indication of bottling date or "saca" here either. 1,000 bottles were filled in September 2019. I tasted it next to the regular 61 Dorado, and this is a lot more complex, with more focus and cleaner and better-defined aromas.