Writing up my notes from a splendid couple of wines by Equipo Navazos at lunch in Los Asturianos yesterday and this was the star of the show without doubt. First, though, just a moment of admiration for the camerawork here: just look at the way I have framed the reflection of the chorizo and morcilla in the stem. Genius.

As to the details of the wine (since the ficha is only posted in Spanish), this one is from the cellars of Hjos de Rainera Pérez Marín, best known for La Guita. More specifically, the fruit was from selected mostos from Pago Miraflores in Sanlucar,  and it has been aged in a mix of sherry and bordelais botas almost filled (“tocadedos” – or touching the fingers) to prevent an excessive oxidation, of which the botas chosen had wood that was heavily impregnated with amontillado.

The resulting wine is fantastic. It is in fact the third time I have had this – I remember having a bottle (recommended by Santiago at Coallagourmet) when it first came out and it disappearing quickly (pre-blog chaps – no notes taken). The second time I had it was as part of an outstanding pairing, but given the occasion no opportunity to take notes there either (and, frankly, tricky to do a tasting note of anything you are eating with roast garlic). So this time, fabada notwithstanding, I was determined to take notes and they were nearly all superlatives.  

Everything about it is elegant and classy. In colour it is a rich, honeyed amber. It has a really interesting nose that is refined, with a fruity, nutty sweetness backed by saline minerals. On the palate it is super clean, fine and balanced. Honey toffee first up, then zingy minerals and acidity, beautifully integrated alcohol (in fact it is not as alcoholic as some palos at only 18%) and long with nutty and bakery type flavours, mineral smokiness and no bitterness or astringency. Really nice defined structure to it – takes you a journey.

Really lovely, elegant, classy stuff.

  
Bumped into the chap from Bodegas Tradicion just the other day and had a nice chat. They have done as much as anyone to reinvent the sherry business around premium wines and this is a high quality wine indeed. As you will see – a bottle with the “old labels” and indeed it is the second saca of 2013. 

I like the dating of the sacas but I like the wine more. It is a beautiful chestnut reddish brown and has a fine sweet, caramel, maybe slightly citrus or resiny nose – some hay bales there. On the palate there is a nice acidic buzz, caramel flavours, maybe burnt orange peel and a little bit of cedar wood at the end. Nice fresh finish but not all that long. 

Quality stuff. 

  
This was put in front of me today at lunch and I was challenged to identify it. 

It was a little bit cold but you can see it is a beautiful colour. It was restrained on the nose – orange and walnuts – but also yeasty, definite hay bales, which made me think of an amontillado. 

On the palate too it was elegant – a bit of sweet spice first up, nicely integrated salinity and not too astringent or woody – if anything a nice fruity finish. Indeed it was mellow and elegant all through, which again made me wrongly think of amontillado. 

In summary, I got it wrong and failed to identify it – my credibility now in shreds. In my defense, it was cold and I had a cold. Looking back, however, I kind of judged it on what it was not – thought there was not enough zing, astringency and structure for it to be a palo – rather than looking for the bready, dry indicators of an amontillado. 

Was very nice though. 

This is the special reserve range palo cortado from Romate in jerez, with an average age of over 15 years. 

It has that lovely chestnut colour that is typical of a palo cortado. It also has the smokey honey-ginger notes on the nose.

On the palate it is zingy, gingery, caramel but saline and spiced. Not as finely structured, long or broad as some but a very nice palo cortado. 

I have had mixed experiences with these but this time I loved this little gem of a palo cortado from Equipo Navazos.

As you can see, it was a deep chestnut red (like a very old port, I thought) and slightly murky (which I put down to a 250 km car journey in the morning), with a big nose. Smells for all the world like the furniture in a church – smokey, slightly sweet wood aromas.

Also very very woody on the palate. In texture it is not as rich as you maybe expect from such a potent looking wine and being critical, it is not just dry maybe excessively harsh and astringent at first – just an acid bomb first up. Get past the initial shock, though, and it broadens out and is massively long with notes of creamy chocolate and coffee and a very very persistent caramel finish. We tasted it alongside the last of the Bota de Amontillado 49 and it was notably full flavoured by comparison  – where the flavours of the 49 were tobacco, leather and dust this was all caramel, burnt caramel and nuts.

Went down a bomb on the night – even with a crowd that do not often drink sherry. Excellent.

 
I love this and get slightly carried away in my descriptions at times. It is one of the wines plucked from the stocks of a famous old almacenista – on this occasion Garcia Jarana – by the guys at Equipo Navazos and then finished by them in their own botas housed in Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla (another favourite maker of mine). 

It is not a super aged, super powerful wine like some of the palo cortados around but for me it is what a palo cortado should be – fine, elegant and balanced. If anything, I would compare it to the Emilio Hidalgo Amontillado Tresillo 1874: the 34 maybe has slightly less body but is also just a shade lighter on the finish. 

It is a red amber rather than brown colour. Slightly sweet on the nose, with orangey stewed apples and a bit of alcohol. A bit of salt and zing first up on the palate, then rich honey toffee in the background and with some bitter, black chocolate, a suggestion of tobacco and a long finish. 

A real masterpiece and my favourite wine ever for less than €40.