Manzanilla, “La Bota 113”, “Navazos”, Sanlúcar de Barrameda

While the group actively resists a standardized “product line” approach, there is a unifying thread in each release of a “Navazos”-designated Sherry. La Bota #113 is the tenth occurrence of a “Navazos”-designated manzanilla, and with this wine, they seek a complex expression of relatively long-aged Palomino Fino from Sanlúcar de Barrameda given only the gentlest of filtrations before bottling. La Bota #113, then, is a selection of casks among several dozen which have been monitored and shepherded by Navazos co-founder Eduardo Ojeda since 2007, with an estimated average wine age of seven years. Because it has been so minimally filtered, #113 pours a deeper golden color than many more commercially minded manzanillas, with a deeply saline yet vibrant palate that hums with intensity. Though remarkably quenching, a simple aperitivo-style manzanilla this is not. 15% alcohol; bottled in June 2022; 5,000 bottles produced.