La Bota Nº. 111 de Manzanilla Florpower MMXVIII 2018

Equipo Navazos bottle La Bota Nº 111 from the Pago de Miraflores Baja, one of the most prized parcels in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The vineyard sits on white albariza, a chalk-rich soil that reflects light and retains winter rain deep in its profile, feeding the Palomino vines through the dry Andalusian summer. The coastal position matters: humid Atlantic winds keep the cellars cool and damp, which sustains the layer of flor yeast that defines Manzanilla. This wine spent three years under that living veil, ageing biologically rather than oxidatively. The flor consumes oxygen, glycerol and acetaldehyde, protecting the wine from browning while adding its characteristic saline, bready and nutty tang. The result is pale and bright, with a nose of green apple, chamomile, sea spray and almond skin. The palate is bone dry and savoury, austere at first as the source notes suggest, then broader and more textured with air, finishing on brine and dried herbs. Serve well chilled at around 8C in a white wine glass, ideally from a freshly opened bottle. It is built for the table: salted almonds, fried fish and prawns.