Osborne Sherry Cream Santa Maria

Osborne Cream Sherry is a generous, full-bodied, mature, aged cream sherry. This world-famous wine owes its name to the Andalusian city of Jerez, which eventually became "Sherry" in English. The grapes grow on white limestone soils called "albarizas" in a triangle between the cities of Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa Maria, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. After pressing and fermentation in modern stainless steel tanks, and the addition of wine alcohol to reach an alcohol content of approximately 15% ABV, the wines undergo traditional aging in 600-liter wooden casks called "butts." These casks are only two-thirds full, and a protective layer of yeast, called "flor," quickly forms on the surface of the wine. This layer protects the young wine from oxidation and is crucial for the development of the characteristic sherry aromas. During aging according to the so-called "Solera system," the barrels are continuously replenished with wine from younger vintages after about a third of the contents below the protective layer of yeast has been removed. In this way, the best wines pass through many rows of barrels for several years. At the same time, this constant blending of old and younger wines results in a consistently uniform final product. A portion of the young wines is stopped from further fermentation early on by the addition of wine alcohol. This yields sweet wines for the production of sweet sherry varieties, such as this full-bodied, mature, mahogany-colored "Cream Sherry," which is characterized by a high proportion of Pedro Jimenez grapes and, after long aging in sherry butts, is wonderfully smooth and harmonious on the palate.