A Spanish sherry style. Palo Cortado – Made from Palomino Fino, Produced in small quantities, Palo Cortado starts it’s life as Fino sherry, and, at some point either by design or due to the flor failing it is further fortified killing any remaining flor. Oxidative maturation then continuing for often decades prior to bottling at a final alcohol around 20.5%. It’s perhaps the more confusing of the styles to pigeon hole. Having the freshness of Amontillado and sometimes the body of Oloroso.
The list of sherry styles below is not exhaustive. It is ordered from freshest and least alcoholic to most developed and alcoholic. The continuum of sub-styles under each is considerable. Variables being, average age, the strength of flor, and, level of oxidation (sometimes determined by the fill height of casks. These limits of each of these factors stretch as you shift from the freshest to most developed styles. A Fino won’t be seen past 6-7 years of age, an Olorosso my stretch to 90 years average age.
Freshest Fino – Manzanilla – Manzanilla Pasada – Amontillado – Palo Cortado – Oloroso – Pedro Ximénez Most Developed
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