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With this "back and forth" XC Palo Cortado, González Byass commemorates the 500th anniversary of the first world tour accomplished by the Magallanes-Elcano expedition.
The history of this collection of wine gems begins on February 8, 2018, when González Byass loaded two half barrels of an exceptional Palo Cortado selected by winemaker Antonio Flores onto Training Ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano. The wine has sailed on board of the ship’s 90th training cruise, on a round trip that started in Cádiz on February 11, 2018. On August 11 of the same year, the Spanish Navy’s Training Ship arrived at the same port with the same two half casks which, for six months, had remained stowed on the deck preserving this precious “back and forth” XC Palo Cortado –a sherry wine that has breathed and enriched itself at each port of call of the journey and this way become a unique wine treasure.
Now, González Byass presents its "back and forth" XC Palo Cortado after preparing 550 bottles of this sherry wine: a sherry that recovers the tradition of shipping wines on long voyages and through which homage is paid to the sailors who circumnavigated the world in the sixteenth century. These products, known as “back and forth" wines, were very popular in overseas trade and could reach a fivefold increase in their price upon returning to Cádiz. Their uniqueness and remarkable improvement in their organoleptic qualities was caused by factors such as the variations in temperature, pressure and, above all, the constant oscillation of the waves.
XC "back and forth" Palo Cortado is amber, with coppery shades, flashes of old gold and an orange background. The nose is fine and elegant, with aromas of fine woodwork, deep toasted nuts and saline notes. It is enveloping on the palate: forceful, ample, elegant and indescribably harmonious. The incessant rocking of the seas and oceans that this Palo Cortado has sailed across has lent it undoubted greatness, and transformed the initial wine into a unique sherry full of history and sensations.
“Back and forth” XC Palo Cortado is presented in a case that also includes a 200-ml sample of the same wine before travelling, to facilitate comparison. Recommended retail price: €550.
This product can be purchased at the Gonzalez Byass Online Store.