La Bota 111 de Manzanilla “Florpower” MMXVIII

Producer Profile
Equipo Navazos was born out of a group of friend’s passion to share the authentic, traditional wines of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Montilla … legitimately some of the greatest wines of the world!
These wines come from soleras and individual casks that remain, relatively neglected by the market in corners of many of Andalusia’s most prestigious bodegas. These unexpected yet fortunate findings have been made available to wine lovers around the world in limited quantities under the La Bota series (consecutively numbered editions, with the date of each saca or withdrawl date on the label) … in doing so respecting generations of expertise and care for these rare and beautiful wines. Today their efforts are increasingly focused on producing their own exceptional wines, such as Florpower, that truly express the character of Sanlúcar and its unique terroir. Outside of Andalusia, Equipo Navazos have collaborated with winemakers including Dirk Niepoort and Sergi Colet to develop authentic and individual wines that never fail to impress.
 
Viticulture
The white chalky soil of the Jerez area, 'albariza,' is ideal for the cultivation of Palomino grapes which produce the sherry for which Jerez is so well known. With a focus on the old vine vineyards of Mirafloes La Baja, Sanlúcar from which their Florpower wines come from. However, experience has shown them that, in the end, the vineyard always prevails regardless of the intensity and duration of ageing, which is why they increasingly tend to limit the latter more and more.
 
La Bota de Manzanilla 111 “florpower MMXVIII” is, first and foremost, a vintage (2018) white wine, and a single-vineyard one, 100% varietally made from Palomino Fino sourced from vineyards in the Pago Miraflores La Baja (Sanlúcar). 
After one year of ageing under flor at natural strength, it was slightly fortified with wine spirit and has additionally aged in Sanlúcar de Barrameda for almost three years following the traditional biological system. It is, therefore, a manzanilla: a single vineyard, vintage manzanilla.
It is also the same wine once bottled as La Bota de Florpower 97 MMXVIII (vintage 2018), as in its day we reserved some lots of that wine to be fortified from the beginning and aged as manzanilla, and then blended with some butts of Florpower 2018 that were fortified later on, after biological ageing at natural alcohol levels.
 
Tasting Note: Brilliant gold in colour, with a sublime combination of delicacy and pungency. Vibrant and fresh, with electric energy, umami complexity and appealing notes of polish … immensely long and appetising. A delicious 2018 manzanilla, a fine and delicate, yet racy wine.