During refurbishments to the historic Calle Misericordia in Sanlúcar de Barrameda (home to the La Guita solera), a number of special vessels stood out due to their size and origins. One such vessel was a magnificent tonel gordo (120 arrobas, i.e. a 2,000-litre cask) situated in a corner of the room, separated from the main rows of casks that were standing by the wall. Navazos had this single large cask filled with a selection of the best Amontillados of the house (the same genealogy as the previous releases: No. 37 and No. 58, etc.), refreshed with a moderate proportion of the extraordinary Manzanilla Pasada from Misericordia. The resulting wine was aged a few more years until the contents of the tonel had fully integrated and were thus initially bottled for the release of No. 69 (in late 2016) and, for this new saca some four years later.
A natural Amontillado of an average age of around 17- to 18-years-old, it’s a wonderfully layered and textural wine, yet has the drive and intense salinity that makes it a killer match with anything salty. It’s a brilliant aperitif, and will also work beautifully with a wide range of food thanks to its intense salty minerality. Try oysters, salted fish, tapas, white meat dishes and also spicy Asian food. Rates off the chart on the official BDS Scale (Bibendum Deliciousness Scale). A magnum is barely enough!