Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/09/25/equipo-navazos-no-85-a-surprisingly-different-sherry/
Regular readers will be aware that I am a great fan of quality sherry. For some, the mere mention of Sherry will bring a thrill; for others, rolling of the eyes and shaking of the head. It really is a love it or hate it style. And this one is something seriously different.
Regulars will also know that I often get material from various events put on by friends – these days, it is my best option to see many of the great old wines as the cost to source them now is simply prohibitive.
The latest such event was a Vosne Romanee Grand Cru lunch. The procedure is that we each dig through our ever-diminishing cellars to see what we can find. This time, some truly extraordinary gems, but as well as the theme, one or two of us will normally include a champagne or on rare occasions, a sherry, and then perhaps even a vintage port to conclude, to add to the event in addition to our contribution.
Equipo Navazos No 85
This time, I grabbed a Sherry from one of my absolute favorite producers, Equipo Navazos, their La Bota de Fino No 85 (although I believe that this one cannot technically be called Sherry – as we will explain). It was up against some stiff competition in the quality stakes with various Echezeaux, Richebourg, a Clos Parentoux and, most remarkably, a 1988 Henri Jayer Echezeaux in perfect condition, so it was going to have to perform well. That it would was never in doubt.
We have seen the story of Navazos before (see Equipo Navazos La Bota 65 Ron ‘Bota NO’: No Additives, No Coloring, No Sweeteners, No Aromatics, Unchillfiltered, And 98/100. Cheers!) but very quickly, it began with a couple of friends, Jesus Barquin, who is a criminology professor at the University of Granada, a great lover of Sherry and the co-author of “Sherry, Manzanilla and Montilla: A Guide to the Traditional Wines of Andalucía”, along with Peter Liem, better known for his work with champagne (it is just over a decade old now but it remains the essential work on Sherry), and Eduardo Ojeda, who is the technical director of Grupo Estevez, better known as Valdespino (and much more).
The pair were visiting cellars and tasting sherries, as one does, and while at the Ayala cellars, on a visit in 2005, came across a barrel of Amontillado that they loved, but which was surplus to Ayala’s requirements. It was not that it was not a superb Sherry, simply it had taken a direction that meant it was not in Ayala’s plans.
That happens, more often than you would imagine.
————————————————————————————————————–
Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/09/25/equipo-navazos-no-85-a-surprisingly-different-sherry/
