Bodegas Baron Micaela Palo Cortado

Palo Cortado is a lesser know sherry style – unusual and rare – sitting between amontillado and oloroso.

A slightly pale amber colour with coppery reflections. A caramel dominant nose with plenty of toasted hazelnuts and toffee, hints of honey and orange peels. The aroma has a great complexity, wherein the delicate salty, fino-like, sea breeze is discerned behind the intensity of oxidative ageing .

The palate is full and rounded; again toasted nuts are to the fore plus fruit cake and herbal notes. It signs off with hints of saline in a long, dry finish of smooth oak.

Historically Palo Cortado would originate as a Fino that then went slightly wrong and failed to develop normally. These casks would then be taken out of the Fino solera: its Fino mark, a vertical line or palo, would then be crossed or cortado by a diagonal line. Its flor would be killed by fortifying the wine to 17-18 degrees and it would continue its life as a barrel that ages oxidatively.

Nowadays most Palo Cortado is technically a lightweight, delicate Oloroso. The first pressing, normally destined to become a Fino, is not allowed to develop a layer of flor, but fortified to the  strength of an Oloroso and forced to age oxidatively.

Bodega Baron’s Palo Cortado was first released in 2016 as a final addition to their Micaela range. It is developed for one year as a Fino initially fortified at 15%, then to 19% and left to oxidise for an average of 25 years in 800ltr tondeles (American oak casks).