La Bota de Amontillado 31 "Bota No" 20%, Equipo Navazos

Appearance

After four and a half years , the wine has stained the glass of the bottle, and there is a little sediment (it was bottled en rama) but that shouldn't bother a true wine lover. It has a beautiful deep amber hue with copper tints and legs.

Nose

Intense, fresh and lively, crisp even, with lots of toasted nuts, brine and hints of oak from the butt, traces of clove and salted caramel. The oxidative notes are very pure and the complex, very slightly spicy aromas are tight and lean with lots of depth and just enough glycerine to balance, giving it immediate charm and the impression that the wine wants to burst out of the glass and show that it hasn't finished maturing yet .

Palate

Full-on zippy Sanlucar freshness is provided by a gentle hint of acidity yet this is an old and serious wine, somewhere over 25 years, and it shows with amazing precision and integration. At this age one might expect some tannin but really there is very little and that hint of glycerine achieves perfect balance. It is very clean and has terrific length.

Comments

This outstanding wine was drawn from four butts in the solera 1/10 "Manzanilla Pasada Vieja" at la Guita's bodega on the Jerez road where they transferred the older wines in 1980, leaving them virtually intact. Here there are two other older soleras: Manzanilla Pasada Muy Vieja and Manzanilla Pasada Viejisima 1/3, but Equipo Navazos felt that this one had the best balance in relation to its age. This solera also provided the wine for La Bota 61. This batch consisted of 1,700 50cl bottles.

Price

About 54 euros per 50cl bottle

Palo Cortado VORS Baco Imperial 19.5%, Bodegas Dios Baco

Appearance

Attractive transparent amber-topaz with coppery old gold reflections, legs.

Nose

Full, crisp, fragrant, open and complex. Pronounced Amontillado - almost crianza biologica - notes with a gentle bitterness and lots of toasted almond and hazelnut, a trace of marzipan-like sweetness balances with a phenolic note of oak. This is an old wine and gracefully integrated by age.

Palate

Tight and elegant at first, apparently quite light, then it opens out a bit revealing slightly fuller, more generous and textured Oloroso nutty notes with traces of cinnamon, wood and candied orange peel. There is a certain (volatile) acidity and a very acceptable level of tannin for a wine of this age, and there is a gentle grip but it helps give the wine its terrific length.

Comments

This is an excellent old wine from the Baco Imperial range which covers the bodega's oldest wines. Palos Cortados are so interesting; they swing between Amontillado and Oloroso, and the differences are incredibly subtle but I would say this is closer to Amontillado. It is a very elegant wine with all the nuances which can only be acquired by long ageing.

Price
About 55 euros ex bodega

Bespoke Sherry & Tapas Bar

When you are next in El Puerto de Santa María, make sure you pay a visit to Bespoke Tapas Bar. It is quite unique and the quality is excellent. Carmen Gutiérrez Pou came up with the idea about a year ago.  She is the daughter of Juan Carlos Gutiérrez Colosía, owner of the classic bodega of that name, only a couple of hundred metres along the street. Almost everything is made from old recycled pallets and Sherry paraphernalia and painted by hand in bold colours giving an incredibly bright friendly atmosphere, and the staff are every bit as friendly.

Naturally they promote Gutiérrez Colosía Sherry, which is served in proper, larger, glasses, but they offer many other wines, mostly local ones as well as other local products including locally produced beer. The food is delicious and beautifully presented while a range of Sherry cocktails is available as well as delightful Arabic cakes. The establishment is run by Jerezano Claudio de Diego and I highly recommend it.

Address: Avenida Bajamar, 36, El Puerto de Santa María

Telephone: (+34) 956 106 412

Website: www.bespokepuerto.com

30.10.16 Workers Ratify Deal with Fedejerez

At a meeting in Jerez yesterday the deal was ratified almost unanimously and the strike called off. All that remains to do is for the agreement to be signed and sealed, which will happen on Wednesday. In effect, the workers have won back the rights they had before along with a slight increase in salary which includes payment according to the firm’s profits. The agreement will last for five years.

Workers ratify the deal (foto:andaluciainformacion)

29.10.16 Agreement Reached over Strike

Union representatives and Fedejerez have thrashed out an agreement on the XXV Convenio de la Vid after a marathon meeting at the offices of the mediation service which finished at 05:00 this morning. The agreement needs to be ratified by both sides and could be signed on Wednesday, bringing an end to a ten day strike which has paralysed production at many bodegas.

(foto:diariodejerez)

28.10.16 Barbadillo Accedes to Convenio

Bodegas Barbadillo has agreed to the workers’ demands and they have today returned to work. This means that Sanlúcar is now strike free. Members of staff have agreed to work extra shifts to get things back to normal after a week of strike action. The strike still continues in Jerez, however, as no agreement has been reached despite two meetings between the two parties in 24 hours. The unions accuse Fedejerez of intransigence and of breaking its promise to reinstate workers’ rights as promised five years ago. They vow to remain on “defensive” strike till Fedejerez agrees to their demands.

Manzanilla en rama La "E" 15%, Bodegas Argüeso

Appearance

Bright glinting golden straw, light legs.

Nose

Fresh, fairly saline with plenty of yeasty bready flor with a hint of that attractive bitterness. There is a strong almond note and the slightest background trace of autolysis giving a surprising amount of complexity to a wine which is no more than five years old.

Palate

Fresh pure Manzanilla, fairly soft with good depth and real Sanlucar character, a hint of texture and good length. As the wine warms up more flavour comes through, so what more could one want for the money?

Comments

This is one of the wines offered en rama direct from the butt at Argüeso, but which are not bottled, so you have to buy it "a granel" or on draught. The standard container is a 2 litre plastic bottle, yet I was pleased by the freshness and quality for the price nonetheless. Argüeso also sell this wine in various sizes of BIB, but now only to the bar and restaurant trade. It is the younger of the two granel Manzanillas they offer, the other being Viruta. Many bodegas have despachos de vino, a bar or shop where one can buy in bulk or by the bottle and they are well worth investigating.
Price
About 4 euros per litre