Robert - Ignore the points - it’s really pointless to score wines like that one, although apparently you scored it already.
Anyhow, you have an interesting wine and luckily, you can leave it open for a long time as it’s already oxidized as much as it’s going to be.
I have a bottle of this in the cellar. Bought it for pretty much the same reasons: special gift or special occasion. I do like PX. Alone or over pancakes or vanilla ice cream. Seriously. Though I’m not sure it makes sense to use such an expensive wine that way, it probably wouldn’t stop me.
This wine is really delicious, did this come with the ‘try it tube’? They at one time would give you a tube with an ounce or two to try and see if you liked where it was at so you didn’t have to crack the whole bottle.
A couple of years ago while at Classical’s office (they are the importer) they had a 5l of the 42’ (if I remember correctly) it was the end of the barrel and and bottles with all the lee’s Intact…
No “try it” tube. Does PX that old evolve much further in the bottle?
That 5L must have been interesting!
I’m worried that I have the palate of a Yak. My favorite producers are the same as yours: Les Carmes Haut Brion, Sociando, Baudry, Raffault, Gonon etc. I, too, also took the plunge on this wine, normally not fancying myself much of a sherry man.
PX is not like most other sherries. It’s dark and thick as used motor oil, and sweet. Nothing remotely like the favorites you’ve listed. But there’s nothing wrong with liking more than one style. It’s limiting to have the palate of a one-track yak.
Oh, I know. Just pointing out the coincidence of having someone with a similar palette take the same left turn from our normal purchasing patterns.
One of the great pleasures of working for TWA is having Luis as a colleague. I would love to swap cellars with him for a month, as we like a lot of the same wines.
The one-track Yak here!
Funny to see this thread resurrected from 5 years ago. I did end up buying it for a friend and grabbing the 1965 for my 50th birthday, 2015. Had it then with family, and the remainder after a very long Chinon wine night with tons of bottles. I’m not as big on sweet wines that much anymore, used to drinke quite a bit of sauternes, ports, etc., like 10-15 years ago. Now I’m much more inclined to finish an elegant dinner with a rose champagne or a higher-acid Madiera. I prefer the lift from these wines, and think they actually pair better with most deserts. These sherries were fun, to be sure, but not really something that I track down. The packaging on the wines was fun as well, quite nicely done. One of them came with the additional taster tube, just cannot recall which. A neat touch.
That’s not the palate of a Yak, that’s a refined palate. Says someone who enjoys the same wines. 
Robert – that sounds super cool. I think I remember seeing that offered not long ago. (Relative) value guy that I am, I settled on the 1955.
Question: With what, if anything, does one pair such a monstrosity? I once enjoyed a tasting with the folks from Bodegas Tradicion, and the gentleman’s answer was: “vanilla ice cream”.
Like many here, I sometimes “appreciate” wines that we hardly have occasion to drink, and certainly PX falls into this situation. I am going to recommend to those who have the opportunity, consider trying this wine:
La Bota 33 de Dulce “Color Bota NO”
http://www.equiponavazos.com/en/botan033dulcecolorbotano/
Admittedly an acquired taste, kind of combining dessert and digestif bitters…
It is made and aged much like PX (although in this particular case is all/mostly palomino), but along with plenty of suger it is highly acidic, and not just a little bit bitter; that is to say it is a much more balanced wine than PX. Blended essentially as a sweetened oloroso, then casked and left pretty much alone for about 80 years, it is similarly concentrated as the very old PXs being discussed, but IMO considerably more drinkable.
A good serving size is about a tablespoon (so maybe not so “drinkable”), and of course it is barely sipped. Although it is rather expensive in the amazingly-still-available half-bottles, at this rate it figures to about $5/serving, actually pretty reasonable. Our first bottle lasted most of a year, our second is now about 6 months open and still going strong.
My note:
11/6/2013 - 95 Points
Well, it took ten months for me to finish this bottle, amazingly, and I think it is fair to say that this wine is an acquired taste and requires patience. I began as some tasters below have recommended by just wetting my lips, whatever the final disposition there is no disputing that this is one incredibly concentrated and intense wine, so this is perhaps good advice. Some waiting followed.
After a few more months I was pouring about a tablespoon into a white-wine glass a couple of times a week, then letting it warm up and sipping slowly. This wine has as structure a destructive portion of acidity, supplemented by a purely adult amount of bitterness. As presented the apparently huge dosage (I think I read something like 190g/L) renders the taste…somewhat sweet, but still plenty tart and plenty bitter.
Obviously there is a lot going on with this perhaps 80+years-old wine, and while there is no way to disguise this triad of primal flavors, amazingly some sort of ‘balance’ can be said to prevail. Not surprisingly the fortification (15%) is utterly undetectable.
The nose is of brine, molasses, and smoke, almost numbingly powerful palate of burnt sugar, scorched nuts, savory salt, and dark raisins. The finish is more of the same, intense and minutes long. If there remains any doubt, I accompanied this wine with nothing whatsoever.
I wasn’t joking when I suggested serving it over pancakes or with vanilla ice cream. On its own it’s so rich that all it takes is a few sips to reach my limit. A little like Eszencia in that respect.