La Bota de Palo Equipo Navazos Cortado “Bota NO”

Equipo Navazos is the project of Jesús Barquín and Eduardo Ojeda, who track down and bottle old Jerez wines that had been all but forgotten. La Bota de Palo Cortado Bota NO is one of their rarest finds, a Palo Cortado of around eighty years of age from an old Gaspar Florido vintage once released under the name Ánsar Real, now held in the Pedro Romero cellars. The grape is Palomino, grown on Jerez albariza, the chalky white limestone that defines the region. Palo Cortado begins life under a veil of flor like a Fino but loses that biological cover, so it finishes its long ageing oxidatively in cask. With air slowly reaching the wine through the oak, ethanol converts to acetaldehyde and the decades in solera concentrate the wine as it evaporates, building the deep colour and the nutty, savoury intensity that mark the style. The colour is deep amber with mahogany glints. The nose is layered and penetrating, with walnut, roasted hazelnut, orange peel, dried apricot, tobacco and old wood. The palate is bone dry and powerful yet poised, with great salinity, dried fruit and a finish that runs on for minutes. Serve at 12 to 14 degrees in a generous glass.