Equipo Navazos La Bota 91 Fino Macharnudo Alto Jerez

Equipo Navazos is perhaps the most significant thing to have happened in the world of Sherry for a very long time. It has some of the most influential people in the fine wine world raving about the quality of these wines, and they are talking about the quality first and the fact that they are Sherries second. These are wines to make Sherry sexy again. They are also as rare as hens’ teeth and are being sought after with the same urgency that wealthy Burgundy collectors seek out the wines of DRC or the greatest Montrachet. This makes sense: these wines are every bit as profound, deep, long and complex as any bottle of DRC (and that is no insult to DRC!)

The Navazos Sherries are drawn from several bodegas, and represent a variety of styles: Manzanilla, Fino, Palo Cortado, Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, Cream and even a brandy. The wines are bottled in limited series, in successive numbered editions, dated and named “La Bota de….” (the cask of…). The date of each saca, or racking, has been precisely stated on the label so that it is possible to compare editions of the same solera. This also enables precise tracking of the evolution of the wines, as these wines are expected to evolve in the bottle (it’s Sherry, but not as we know it). These are once off bottlings and once the bottles for each La Bota… release are spoken for, there are no more.

Other Reviews....
The NV La Bota de Fino 91 Macharnudo Alto is a wine that has been bottled multiple times under the numbers 2, 7, 15, 18, 27, 35, 54 and 68 from the Fino Inocente solera of Valdespino. The bottled wine averages an age of ten years, a full-bodied Fino (if that's possible after ten years of flor!), fermented in old sherry casks like it was done yesteryear. They had not bottled this wine for almost three years. The nose is spectacular and easy to identify; it has the same character as the Inocente wines. The nose was singing and expressive, with typical aromas but also somehow floral and perfumed. It has volume with lots of autolysis from the lees, with great power but also finesse and balance. Stunning. 5,000 bottles produced. Drink 2019 - 2024.
95 points
Luis Gutiérrez - Wine Advocate (June 2019)

Casks with a fresher profile chosen because 68 was more mature and they wanted to go back to a slightly fresher style, less uncompromisng. Bottled February 2019. A combination of solera and 1st and 2nd criadera. 10 years average age. From Innocente solera as usual.
Surprisingly deeply coloured, pale gold. Super-intense aroma that is salty, bready and full of dried grasses and chamomile but also has some wild tangy yellow fruit that gives intensity and depth on the palate, creamy richness from the autolysis. So incredibly saline. Revved-up Fino but still elegant. Intensely mouth-watering and cries out for food. Long and precise. Drink 2019 - 2025.
18/20 points
Julia Harding MW - jancisrobinson.com