Thursday 27 September 2018

Palo Cortado Horizontal 2018 20%, Las Botas

Appearance
Mid to deep patinated mahogany fading through copper glinted amber to a trace of green at the rim.
Nose
Impressive, crisp and finely honed as only an old wine can be, yet it is amazingly lively and fresh, and extremely expressive. It is very complex yet still allows one to pick up on some of those nuances which have combined to form its beautiful bouquet. There are toasted almonds and hazelnuts, traces of tangy dried fruits and American oak, noticeable volatile acidity-yet it balances well, and a certain slightly fruity element which gives it immense charm.
Palate
Full and delightfully crisp and focused on entry, it gradually opens out and softens on the palate giving off a cornucopia of subtleties. There is a trace of glyceric sweetness which is balanced out by that volatile acidity, and there is very little aggressive tannin for a wine of this age, giving it a most delightful crisp smoothness. It is classic Palo Cortado: neither Amontillado nor Oloroso yet with properties of both. It is complex yet friendly with terrific length. A real beauty.
Comments
This is the second Palo Cortado release from Las Botas, a brand belonging to wine merchants Balandro Vinos in Sevilla who seek out the very best and bottle small parcels under their own label. They were only established in 2015 but have already made quite an impact by selecting some outstanding wines. This beauty comes from the bodegas of Manuel Aragón, based in Chiclana in the production zone. 12 arrobas each (not an insignificant quantity) were drawn from 2 selected "bocoyes", numbers 2 and 9, of the 12 in the bodega Los Toreros (bocoyes are barrels which are slightly larger and fatter than the normal butt) and blended together. The wine is somewhere between 35 and 50 years old and was classified as Palo Cortado in its first year of life. 768 x 50cl bottles were filled, en rama, naturally. Wine bottled by Equipo Navazos from the same solera scored 98 Parker points (La Bota 62), so there can be no doubting the wine's outstanding quality.
Price
31.50 per 50cl, Licores Corredera


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