Saca de July 2019. This is the ninth release of La Bota de Manzanilla, which again originates from the vineyards of Las Cañas (pagos Balbaína and Las Tablas) and La Soledad (pago El Cuadro) in Sanlúcar. It’s drawn from a small selection of toneles (750-litre butts) and botas of a quality that Barquín calls “outworldly”. These two-dozen or so casks have been carefully looked after by Eduardo Ojeda and his team for more than twelve years, and the wines have been getting more and more complex.
The estimated average age of this bottling is seven years (so far older than the vast majority of Manzanilla on the market). Like all La Bota wines, this is en rama, so it has not had the aggressive filtration that gives most Manzanilla its clear appearance. This is what proper Manzanilla looks like with age when served from cask, i.e., pale and golden. The wine itself serves to remind you that Manzanilla is simply Fino, a Fino from Sanlúcar vineyards. It’s sooooo fragrant and floral, golden and oceanic with a layered, glycerol-rich and salivating palate. There’s a wonderful dance between the fleshy and saline/drying elements. The same food matches recommended as for the Fino 91 below, although this is more delicate and finer in structure and could easily be utilised as a white wine throughout the meal. A glass with roast chicken or pork sausage would be sensational.