Equipo Navazos La Bota de Palo Cortado 121

Equipo Navazos, run by Eduardo Ojeda and Jesús Barquín, revive forgotten casks across Jerez, Sanlúcar, El Puerto and Montilla and bottle them under the La Bota series. La Bota de Palo Cortado 121 comes from the Marco de Jerez, where Palomino grown on chalk-white albariza gives the base wine for this rarest of sherry styles. Palo cortado occupies the ground between Amontillado and Oloroso. It begins under a veil of flor, which gives the aromatic finesse of an Amontillado, then loses its flor and finishes with the oxidative weight and body of an Oloroso, aged in old casks through the criaderas and soleras system. The slow exposure to air over years deepens the wine, builds its nutty complexity and concentrates it through evaporation. The nose leads with bitter orange citrus, lactic notes of cultured butter and a subtle spice, over roasted hazelnut and walnut. The palate is dry, structured and saline, with a savoury length and a clean, persistent finish. Serve cool in a white-wine glass. It pairs with hard cheese, consommé, mushrooms and rich savoury dishes.