Most sherry is blended from butts housed in vast sherry cathedrals, the aim being to create a unified blend. These two bottles demonstrate the influence of (very) local climatic conditions on sherry’s evolution. Poniente comes from a barrel at the cooler, damper end of the cathedral, and as a result is more linear and tangy than the richer, nuttier Levante, which matured in a barrel and the hot, dry end of the cellar. The difference is subtle, but it’s there.