Out for a walk on a beautiful sunny afternoon I stuck my head into Taberna Averias and happened upon this remarkable white wine by Equipo Navazos. I must have last had it about a year ago down in Puerto de Santa Maria – on an occasion that was memorable in a number of ways – and have a bottle stowed away so was interested to see how it was faring.

As I failed to explain the first time I posted about this wine it is an interesting beast: palomino from Pago Miraflores fermented in inox, then eight months under flor in botas, then into more inox for another 18 months or so with some flor (full ficha here).

The resulting wine has a bit of everything. a nice rich colour, it still has a healthy amount of appley fruit to it on the nose and the palate but none of the pungent edge of a mosto. On the other hand there is just enough chalky tingle and mineral outline to give it crispness and a nice herbal or yeasty bitterness too.

Very good stuff – a glass is never the same as a full bottle but I reckon I am going to keep the one I have under wraps for a while yet.