Equipo Navazos Ovni Pedro Ximénez 2022

Equipo Navazos was founded in 2005 by Eduardo Ojeda and Jesús Barquín to rescue traditional Andalusian wines. Ovni is a departure from their Sherry bottlings: a dry, unfortified white made from Pedro Ximénez, a grape usually reserved for sweet wine, here vinified bone dry. The wine is aged under flor, the film of living yeast that forms on the surface of the wine in partly filled casks in the Marco de Jerez. Even a short two months under this veil changes the wine, as the flor consumes oxygen and glycerol and leaves behind a saline, yeasty and slightly nutty imprint while protecting the wine from oxidation. The Andalusian albariza soils and coastal climate underpin the freshness. At 11.5 per cent this is light and dry rather than a fortified style. The colour is pale lemon. The nose is fresh and expressive, with citrus and stone fruit, apricot in particular, over a dough-like, yeasty note. The palate is dry, crisp and saline, with lemon and green apple, an almond edge and a clean, mineral finish. Serve well chilled at 8 to 10 degrees in a white glass.