Equipo Navazos, I Think Amontillado, DO Montilla-Moriles, Spain (37.5cl.)

PRODUCER PROFILE

Equipo Navazos was born out of a group of friends’ desire to unearth some of the many treasures lying forgotten in the bodgas of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Montilla… wines whose age and provenance place them among the best value in the world.

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 withdrawal, on the label)as a mark of respect for the generations of expertise and care that have gone into making these exceptional wines. Today, however, Equipo Navazos’ efforts are increasingly focused on producing their own wines, such as Florpower, which truly express the character of Sanlúcar and its unique terroir. Beyond Andalusia, they have also collaborated with winemakers of the calibre of Dirk Niepoort and Sergi Colet to develop authentic, individual Spanish wines that never fail to impress.

VITICULTURE

The white chalky soils of the hills South of Montilla (Sierra de Montilla) and surrounding Moriles (Moriles Altos) are ideal for the cultivation of Pedro Ximénez grapes which produce the traditional wines for which Andalucía is well known among wine lovers. The Montilla-Moriles appellation, located in the province of Córdoba some 200 km away from Jerez, have produced for centuries these traditional wines.

WINEMAKING

A wine bottled exclusively for us at Alliance Wine, a vision created between wine buyer Paul Shinnie and the love, knowledge and passion of the Equipo Navazos team. This is an extremely limited and exclusive amontillado, barely 1,000 375ml units taken from a single cask of extraordinary finesse and elegance that averages 15 years old. Unfortified, the alcohol strength is natural.

TASTING NOTE

This embodies finesse with its rich, gourmet and wonderfully unique character. The perfect Amontilado from DO Montilla-Moriles, combines elegance with complexity and has a sensory appeal which shows a definite sense of place.

FOOD MATCHING

Raw oysters, cheeses of medium to intense flavour, charcuterie, spicy Asian food.