Napoleón is Hidalgo’s flagship Amontillado, named for the French emperor whose army was supplied with the wine during the Peninsular War. The bodega simultaneously sold wine with a Wellington label to the British forces on the other side — a piece of commercial pragmatism that perfectly captures the entrepreneurial spirit of the Sanlúcar trade. The Amontillado solera was founded at the end of the eighteenth century and is fed with Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana, giving it an unusually complex biological foundation.
The colour is a warm mahogany. The nose is elegant and precise: hazelnuts, caramel, a hint of toffee and a saline undertone from the Sanlúcar origins. The palate is dry, medium-bodied and well-structured, with good natural acidity, clear nutty flavour and a long, refined finish with hints of raisin and spice. At around twelve years of age, one of the most consistently excellent Amontillados at its price level in the Marco de Jerez.