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

Amontillado Perpendicular 22%, Las Botas

Appearance

Attractive antique chestnut fading through amber to a green tinge at the rim, copper highlights.
Nose
It immediately smells old and complex with traces of oak along with some real refinement. There are lots of toasted nuts made crisper with a hint of volatile acidity, traces of tobacco, aromatic woods, incense and of course a hint of salinity, all balanced up with a gentle hint of almond in caramel. At this age many of the super subtle nuances have harmonised into a classic and charming bouquet.
Palate

The opening gambit is crisp and zippy with a refreshing acidity which helps accentuate the bones of the wine; nuts and salinity on a faintly oaky background. There can be no doubt this intense wine is from Sanlúcar. While assertive, it is fairly light and as it opens out more of its subtleties show themselves; faint notes of spices like vanilla and cinnamon with faint notes of toast and turron yema tostada. The finish is characterful, clean and almost eternal. Magnificent.

Comments

This is the second release of Perpendicular bottled (en rama) in December 2017 for Balandro Vinos consisting of 900 x 50cl bottles, and it is amazing. It comes from a selection from 6 butts which were originally in the bodega of the church of Santo Domingo, on the corner next to the Argüeso bodegas of Calle Mar in Sanlúcar, and was incorporated into the latter in the XIX century. Argüeso now belongs to Francisco Yuste. The wine has an average age of some 70 years and began life as Manzanilla, with no doubt many years under flor, reaching its alcoholic strength entirely naturally by concentration, without re-fortification. This release is a very different style from the first which was a superb 20 year old Jerez wine from Bodegas Urium.

Price
39 euros per 50cl bottle, La Tienda del Jerez

 

Amontillado Perpendicular 18%, Las Botas

Appearance

Mahogany fading to amber with copper glints and the faintest trace of green at the rim.
Nose
Attractive, fairly intense and unusual with a distinct note of bitter orange along with toasted hazelnuts and almonds and gentle spice notes like vanilla and cinnamon. There are all sorts of nuances like pipe tobacco and oak.
Palate
It starts off quite full but soon displays considerable elegance, being well rounded and dry yet without any aggressive tannin. That orange character is still there but the nuts come through as it develops on the palate. There is a passing note of antique furniture as it fades, long and elegant
Comments

This wine is from the first saca of 700 bottles which comes from Bodegas Urium in Jerez. It is a blend of varying proportions of wine with a long period of biological ageing from four selected butts in the firm's Amontillado solera, and has an average age of over 20 years. The wine is bottled unfiltered. The name Perpendicular alludes to the two types of ageing involved; biological and oxidative. The Las Botas range is the brainchild of sommelier Raul Villabrille and César Velazquez of Balandro Vinos in Sevilla. Their first releases have been extremely good and the project augurs very well.

Price
29.80 euros per 50cl, La Tienda del Jerez

Manzanilla Apartada saca 2017 15%, Las Botas

Appearance
Bright gold with a faint amber tinge and golden highlights.
Nose

Beautiful and intensely aromatic - more so than the colour would suggest, and hugely complex with all sorts of nuances. There is plenty of bitter yeasty flor and lots of salted almond up front with slight herb and dried flower notes along with sourdough and olive brine behind. Then there are subtle notes of oxidation and cabezuela - there is so much going on and it is all tightly packed into a super fresh wine which is still very much Manzanilla. Lovely!

Palate

Intense, beautifully balanced and so very clean. It is huge on entry with lots of flor, nuttiness and oxidation and then calms down a bit, offering tangy yeasty doughy saline marine notes. Then all the multifarious flavours seem to join together in a flourish into one super tasty wine with terrific length which just keeps on giving. Superb!

Comments

This outstanding Manzanilla is one of 2,000 bottled with no clarification whatsoever in September 2017. It was sourced from a few butts which showed the desired characteristics of biological influence, salinity and bitter almond in the very old San León Reserva de Familia solera in Bodegas Herederos de Argüeso in Sanlúcar. The grapes came from Miraflores and Balbaina and the wine has an average age of between 12 and 14 years. Different quantities were withdrawn from different butts to create a blend with all the characteristics mentioned above and a little oxidation as well. The Las Botas range is selected by sommelier Raúl Villabrille and César Velazquez of Balandro Vinos in Sevilla, and the name "Apartada" refers to that oxidation which sets the wine apart from just biological flavours. These wines offer exceptional value.

Price
15 euros per 50cl bottle, La Tienda del Jerez