El Maestro Gift Baskets

In 1832, Jose Antonio Sierra, who was a master carpenter by trade, founded the El Maestro Sierra Winery in Spain. Prior to founding the winery, Sierra had been employed as a cooper for some of the most prestigious sherry makers in the country, and was an expert on the effects of maturing wine and spirits in oak casks. Today, the El Maestro Sierra Winery is shepherded by Pilar Pla Pechovierto, the widow of a direct descendant of Sierra. Over the past three decades, the estate has become renown for producing some of the finest sherries and brandies in Spain.El Maestro Sierra Brandy Reserva is produced entirely on the two-hundred year old estate. After the grapes used to craft the brandy have been harvested, they are fermented and then distilled. The resulting brandy is then solera-aged for a minimum of 20 years. Solera aging is a process that has generally been reserved for aging cognacs, ports and sherries. It involves filling a series of casks at different intervals over a long period of time. As brandy from the oldest cask is emptied and bottled, the cask is re-filled with an equivalent amount of brandy from the second-oldest cask in the solera. This cascading effect continues until the youngest cask in the solera is filled with new brandy. As a result, no cask in the solera is ever fully emptied. In addition, as the younger brandy ages and cascades through the solera, its average age and complexity gradually increases over time.As a result of this two decade-long solera aging process, El Maestro Sierra Brandy Reserva has an aroma of soft milk chocolate, dried fruits, tobacco and chewy leather. Notes of rich vanilla, caramel, oak, apples and pears dominate the palate, and lead to a finish with hints of brown sugar, figs, coffee and tobacco.Pick up a bottle today!