This is the wine chosen by the guys at Equipo Navazos to celebrate their 10th year and true to their recent releases it is a bit different. The previous anniversary release was a very limited edition and subsequently became very very valuable, so this was one I didn’t want to miss (and thanks to the guys at Coalla Gourmet here we are).

It is a palo cortado from the “Sanatorio” – the bodega of Manuel Aragon in Chiclana, at the far South of el Marco (and beloved of this blog for a number of reasons). Like a classic Equipo Navazos release we are told it is from a single cask that has not been touched for years and that the wine is an average of around 50-60 years old. 

It is a deep brown colour – crystalline but a tone that is a little dull. On the palate it is pleasantly gentle and fresh – in fact not as powerful or saline as I expected for a wine of its age. It is full of salty, nutty, tobacco and barrel flavours, maybe even a bit of orange peel hands – it is nicely integrated and has a very long, fresh but slightly bitter finish. It just lacks that power – while I generally pine for exactly this kind of elegance and flavour, here I am missing a bit of grunt. 

No doubt about it, another fascinating release.