Palo Cortado, “La Bota 102”, “Florpower MMX”, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry

Following the theme of other “Florpower” releases, La Bota #102 is from a single vintage (2010, hence “MMX”) and a single vineyard (50- to 80-year-old vines in the highly regarded Miraflores la Baja in Sanlúcar)—a rarity in the world of palo cortado. This elusive category—theoretically between an amontillado and an oloroso in character—can be obtained in a variety of ways; historically, a cask of flor-aging fino that showed a particular fullness or intensity early on (not necessarily suitable for bottled fino) would be marked, fortified again to kill the flor, and reassigned to a different solera, where it would develop into a wine primarily oxidative in profile but still bearing an influence of the flor under which it began its life. This release started off in tank with only a subtle flor, and was fortified to 17.5% before being transferred to casks, the solera of which was overseen by Navazos member Eduardo Ojeda. The team selected the casks they felt most embodied the combination of purity, freshness, and oxidative finesse they seek in a palo cortado and conducted the saca for the stunningly poised La Bota #102 from them. 18% alcohol; bottled March 2021; 2,100 bottles produced.