Doesn’t feel as if this has moved much in the last six years. Still a deep gold, possibly a little more coppery now. Saline, and recognisably Manzanilla with more depth and complexity and less zing than when released a decade ago. An excellent aperitif to sit and consider. ****
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Super expressive from the get go, with really interesting peppery and almondy notes that reminded me of the nutty characters you get from Marc de Bourgogne. Brine, bouillon, green olive, just really intense, and aged but totally intact and not oxidized or tired in any way. Great wine. Lived up to its reputation.
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Light honey gold. Briny and fresh, lightly brothy nose, saline, raw nuts, somewhat glycerol palate, long finish, a little prickle, iodine, and lots of sea breeze. Although this wine is now 5 years old, this is my first tasting, so it is perhaps softer and less vital than earlier. Drank as a table wine with tuna and leak casserole.
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Deep gold. Lots of saline zing on the nose. Manzanilla. Retains its freshness, salinity and iodine zip with a sense of depth Nd almost richness through the mid-palate. Lovely. ****
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This seems very developed, but in a fantastic way. Serious concentration, and better after being open for 3 days or so. Saline, piercing, some aldehyde notes, nutty. Really very serious, if not much like any other manzanilla I've ever drunk.
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A final, belated bottle of the No.22 - paired with some excellent tapas in Binomio, this excelled in its natural environment. Of all the bottles I have had, this was probably the most integrated. It showed a lovely nose, with gentle wafts of seabreeze and slatey mineral along with lovely dired fruit notes - figs and kumquats, lemon zest and brown pears - and then some nutty accents, and a tiny hint potpourri flowers. Very nice indeed. The palate was lovely too. Fresh, juicy, very lithe and lightfooted, with deliciously mouthfilling flavours of figs and kumquats riding on a gentle, but wonderfully persistent layer of savoury nutty tones and saline, chalky, stony mineral pulling away into a beguiling, palate-gripping finish that just refused to quit. There was tons of layered depth and even power on this, yet it was so effortless and super-well integrated that all you noticed was the purity, grace and complexity on the wine. Wow. Brilliant pairing with tapas too. I probably have had more impressive, greater bottlings from Equipo Navazos, but boy, this must be one of the most appealing, food-friendly ones of all.
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Whoa, this was the finest bottle yet. Bottle age brings complexity and savory notes, and the wine really doesn't lose much in the way of freshness, although it was most harmonious on days two and three. Salty savory tangy tones infuse every aspect of the wine, always reminding me as I taste hints of toffee and chamomile and apple, that it comes from chalk. Balanced and gorgeous wine - these do beautifully with a few years in the cellar.
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Quite a deep gold. Lovely nose, salty, zingy and nicely oxidative complexity. Positive attack, nice and zingy and refreshing. Long finish. Very good. ****
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EN vertical with JB (The Medlar, London): Single blind. Very dark gold. A little more lifted with a slightly herbal element on the nose, a hint of bruised apple. Some bite. Fresher than the nose suggests. He fulle and heaviest of the flight I think. ****
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Old gold colour, is this effect of bottle age or simply the way the wine is anyway? Intensely saline with almond and lemon pith notes Very intense in the mouth, zesty acids and almost palpable salty essences. Finishes long and round with a clean, nut-oil tinge. Whilst enormously impressive it really shouldn't be approached as a light apertif as we did. Partner with some robust food for best results; think barbecue charred squid with roast peppers and aioli
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Quite compelling with a stunning fragrance that combines saline, smoky and roasted almond notes with pure, fresh citrus fruit flavours. The palate is quite remarkable; very polished and elegant with a sense of harmony and finesse to the flavours, and amazing persistence.
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in a wonderful place right now. the wine is still saline and pungent but there is also a floral sense now too, something I've noticed that emerges in these wines with a few years in the bottle (this was bottles in early 2010). a complete wine, just gorgeous.
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This is a wine from another world. Exceptional manzanilla with astonishing complexity, refinement and balance. For the story of this wine: http://www.equiponavazos.com/en/22en.htm
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This bottle showed beautifully, with clean savory aromas that had both richness and elegance. The wine has such lovely finesse on the palate, and the flavors are still pungent but more mellow. In a great spot, and incredibly delicious.
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Surprisingly dark gold in the glass. Intense, nutty, very fresh nose. A robust attack, enormously complex with a long finish. Briney olives. Roasted nuts. Rock pools. High-class wood polish. Very much in keeping with previous La Bota releases. Very good, if you like this fairly aggressive and medium-bodied style of Manzanilla. It does demand food.
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted non-blind over a couple days --
NOSE: incredibly expressive and complex, with a lovely tawny saltiness – green olive – and a hint of anise seed laid atop a wash of wood stain (V/A?), and dotted with notes of fennel, molasses, and hazelnut.
BODY: golden-tan color of medium to medium-deep depth; medium to medium-full bodied.
TASTE: intensely flavored with zippidity acidity; funky cheese – moldy rind cheese, such as tomme de savoie; iodine; hint of golden pipe tobacco; strong toasted almond flavor on the finish, which is long and of medium-strong intensity; quite dry; 15% alc. is very well-hidden and is not noticeable at all; no perceptible tannin; this is an interesting, contemplative wine. Quite remarkable; it’s hard for me to conceptualize how a Manzanilla Sherry could be much better than this one. Superlative.
B: 50, 5, 13, 18, 9 = 95
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Pale gold colour. Fresh, delicate aromas of seaside air and cucumber. Superb, so interesting and complex, there are waves of ever-changing flavours each time you return to the glass. The entry is fresh and salty revealing green olives, a honeyed note, orange peel and a nuttiness at the back of the palate. Showing perfect balance and tension, on the second day there is a lovely tobacco / cigar smoke note with zingy lime and crushed almonds in the finish. Fabulous.
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Excepting on Saint Paul´s First Epistle to the Corinthians or Singaporeans (hey Paul your TN are really appreciated) , there is not too much to say about this bottle cause this is, at this point and no doubt about it, a Manzanilla Pasada Style. So darker to the eye and more profound for your nose (salty almonds) but without any significant personality, in any case a refreshing wine; I mean Navazos is not more than a very good marketing operation yet they are not creating their own way. Very goog then? Oh yeah, indeed but if comparing with Panesa o even with Pastrana, number 22 occupies the third honourable place; Do you get it?
Exceptuando en la primera epístola de San Pablo a los Corintos, no hay mucho que decir porque es, en este punto y sin lugar a dudas, un estilo a Manzanilla Pasada. Así que más oscura a la vista y más profunda en nariz (almendras saladas) pero sin mucha personalidad. en ningún caso tenemos un vino refrescante; Quiero decir que Navazos no es más que una interesante operación de marketing pero que no crea su propio camino.¿Muy buena entonces? oh sí, si la comparas con Panesa o incluso con Pastrana, esta número 22 ocupa una honrosa 3ra posición. ¿Lo pillas?
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Adam's Baby Shower (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): My stock had ran out, so Kelvin dipped into his for this bottle. It remains a compelling sherry, as good as a Manzanilla gets. This was just popped and poured and showed a beautiful nose, a lot woodier than the previous time, with raw pine scents and lots of walnuts and brazil nuts along with some lovely mineral aromas and a bit of beeswax and dried flowers. Lovely, intoxicating stuff that you could smell from miles away. It was beautiful on the palate too. Dripping with lovely freshness, it filled the mouth with bright flavours of lemon, kumquat, orange peel and dried flowers edged with more of that woody nuttiness drifting into a long, spicy finish that refused to quit. As we learnt from the last bottle, this was incredible good with Jamon Iberico.
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Brian's Housewarming (Moonbeam View): Beautiful. This is one of those wines that I feel privileged to have owned and drank. Bang on form after a couple of bottles that were a bit less than brilliant, this had an absolutely knockout nose, bursting with almond skins, figs, dried limes, wood spice and mahogany, all infused with a floral whiff - one could smell it the moment the bottle was popped. Absolutely lovely. Unlike a couple of previous experiences were the palate did not quite match the nose though, this time it was a killer. Amazingly pure and fresh, yet super rich and powerful, with layer after layer of figs, lemons, almonds, yellow fruit and a spray of salty seabreeze. So rich, so deep, yet almost transparent in the way it danced across the mouth. Right at the very finish, this unfurled into a wonderfully fresh, melony note that stretched away into the distance. Back on form indeed, and this was brilliant. With Jamon Iberico, it was so good that we were transported to culinary heaven.
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great, great wine, i prefer it to the No 16. Pungent but elegant and detailed aromas of salt and rubber, with fleeting hints at almonds and chamomile tea. lovely complex nose that grows and changes over the next day too. it's the palate that kills though - complete and utter harmony, silky texture, intense flavors that are perfectly balanced. I could drink this every week and never be tired of it.
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Darker in colour than I remember it - quite a deep old gold. Oxidation, slightly woody, lovely sea-spray and tangy bite. very good though not as good as previous bottle - I wonder whether this is quite right. Long, complex and interesting though. ****
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Cata #6 (Versió Original): Copper-colored, rusty color. Nose of oxidized aromas, apricot, sweet, honey. On palate feels a bit woody, some greens flavour, remarkable bitterness, rebates, sweet finish. Everybody enjoyed this a lot, even though it was good, not my style of wine.
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Peter's Exit Dinner (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): A sherry lover's dream Manzanilla - realised quite quickly when this was poured that not all wine lovers are sherry lovers though! Nevertheless, a great wine and just beautiful pairing with roast pork belly and roast suckling pig. Lovely nose showed dusky figs, preserved plusm, a dusting of walnuts, some gentle woody notes and some earthy depth. Palate had all that palate-staining intensity I remembered from the first bottles. Lots of preserved fig skins and lemons bolstered with fresh acidity on the attack and great textured richness on the mid-palate. Past that, it was lightly less powerful at the finish, but still intense and absolutely lipsmackingly delicious as it pulled away with a show of lemon zest and mineral. Somehow the last two bottles did not quite hit the heights of the first time I tried this. Still, I just could not stop drinking this - absolutely delicious.
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Dinner at R&Y: Pale straw. Lovely fresh, salty, iodene and sea-spray nose. Similar on palate with a nice, quite rounded and slightly oatmeal spect to the attack before showing more bite and proper salty zing. A serious and more 'grown-up' wine than Manzanilla can be. A lovely aperitif with surprising depth and persistence. ****1/2
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Dinner at Ah Orh, aka - A Wonderful Night of Serious Wines (Ah Orh Seafood, Bukit Merah): Not quite as amazing as the first bottle, which had been opened for half a day before I got to it. Still darn solid though. Incredible nose. Earth, mineral, clam shells, saline sea spray, soy bean, varnished wood and yellow fruit hints all wrapped up in a slightly caramelly, slightly oxidative Cognac-like package. Very nice, a pleasure just to smell. The palate had that just absolutely incredible balance that I remembered from the last bottle. Fresh, lithe, lively, almost bright, so that this is deceptively light and lemony on the attack. But boy, it had profound depth, with absolutely mouthfilling flavours of figs, seashells, Chinese pears and a strong seam of mineral just opening up and zooming into a gripping finish that just kept unfolding and unfolding and unfolding in savoury layers of preserved kumquats, figs, mineral and little pinpricks of spice. A whole rush of flavours there. With a bit of time, some umami was layered throughout the mouth. Wonderful with spicy clams too, with the acidity cutting through the spice, and the clams just opening the wine up to bring out almost sweet pear fruit. Gorgeous, just somehow missing a bit of that stunning profound depth I remembered on the night. K messaged me a day and a half later to say that the remainder of the bottle had opened up to the same mind-blowing proportions as the first bottle. I certainly know what to do the next time I open one of these - give it lots of time and air.
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Simply Wines - Dry Rieslings and Bedrock Syrahs (+ others!) (Artisan Cellars, Palais Renaissance): An amazing, amazing wine. Who would have thought. Three great dry Rieslings, and this little sherry all but blew them out of the water. Lovely nose had orange peel and orange blossoms scents, dusty earth, some yeasty bread notes, floating flowers and whiffs of salted nuts. The palate was another story altogether though. Amazingly fresh attack, deceptively clean and clear at first, carrying on where the nose left off with a layer of savoury umami and saltiness, some preserved lemons, and then it shifts gear on the mid-palate to show a real rush of white fruits and flowers, kumquats and limes. Just so much going on here. A little pause, where the wine held the same pitch for a little while, and the finish just explodes on you. Absolutely incredible. I find it hard to put it into words, it just completely exploded and kept on unfolding, like a mini big bang across the mouth, with lime peel, fig skin, mineral and nuts just completely staining the mouth from top to bottom. The flavours lingered and lingered, absolutely refusing to let go. This wine had it all - mind-boggling complexity, huge reservoirs of depth, pitch perfect balance. One of the very best sherries I have ever had the joy of tasting.
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5/9/2020 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Doesn’t feel as if this has moved much in the last six years. Still a deep gold, possibly a little more coppery now. Saline, and recognisably Manzanilla with more depth and complexity and less zing than when released a decade ago. An excellent aperitif to sit and consider. ****
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10/14/2019 - SteveG wrote: 92 Points
Almost 10 years in, still terrific.
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3/12/2016 - yofog wrote:
Super expressive from the get go, with really interesting peppery and almondy notes that reminded me of the nutty characters you get from Marc de Bourgogne. Brine, bouillon, green olive, just really intense, and aged but totally intact and not oxidized or tired in any way. Great wine. Lived up to its reputation.
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1/24/2016 - gordoyflaca Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep and briny
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1/19/2016 - SteveG wrote: 92 Points
Light honey gold. Briny and fresh, lightly brothy nose, saline, raw nuts, somewhat glycerol palate, long finish, a little prickle, iodine, and lots of sea breeze. Although this wine is now 5 years old, this is my first tasting, so it is perhaps softer and less vital than earlier. Drank as a table wine with tuna and leak casserole.
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1/7/2015 - Kirk Grant wrote:
A beautiful expression of Manzanilla...dry, crisp, great acidity, and a medium length finish that beckons for food. Outstanding!
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6/6/2014 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Deep gold. Lots of saline zing on the nose. Manzanilla. Retains its freshness, salinity and iodine zip with a sense of depth Nd almost richness through the mid-palate. Lovely. ****
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1/17/2014 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Nutty, salty, toasty, apple, but also somewhat muted, hollow, and unexciting. I enjoyed the 22 much more.
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8/26/2013 - abh wrote:
This seems very developed, but in a fantastic way. Serious concentration, and better after being open for 3 days or so. Saline, piercing, some aldehyde notes, nutty. Really very serious, if not much like any other manzanilla I've ever drunk.
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7/14/2013 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
A final, belated bottle of the No.22 - paired with some excellent tapas in Binomio, this excelled in its natural environment. Of all the bottles I have had, this was probably the most integrated. It showed a lovely nose, with gentle wafts of seabreeze and slatey mineral along with lovely dired fruit notes - figs and kumquats, lemon zest and brown pears - and then some nutty accents, and a tiny hint potpourri flowers. Very nice indeed. The palate was lovely too. Fresh, juicy, very lithe and lightfooted, with deliciously mouthfilling flavours of figs and kumquats riding on a gentle, but wonderfully persistent layer of savoury nutty tones and saline, chalky, stony mineral pulling away into a beguiling, palate-gripping finish that just refused to quit. There was tons of layered depth and even power on this, yet it was so effortless and super-well integrated that all you noticed was the purity, grace and complexity on the wine. Wow. Brilliant pairing with tapas too. I probably have had more impressive, greater bottlings from Equipo Navazos, but boy, this must be one of the most appealing, food-friendly ones of all.
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6/19/2013 - brooklynguy wrote:
Whoa, this was the finest bottle yet. Bottle age brings complexity and savory notes, and the wine really doesn't lose much in the way of freshness, although it was most harmonious on days two and three. Salty savory tangy tones infuse every aspect of the wine, always reminding me as I taste hints of toffee and chamomile and apple, that it comes from chalk. Balanced and gorgeous wine - these do beautifully with a few years in the cellar.
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2/20/2013 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
Quite a deep gold. Lovely nose, salty, zingy and nicely oxidative complexity. Positive attack, nice and zingy and refreshing. Long finish. Very good. ****
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1/28/2013 - SimonG wrote: 92 Points
EN vertical with JB (The Medlar, London): Single blind. Very dark gold. A little more lifted with a slightly herbal element on the nose, a hint of bruised apple. Some bite. Fresher than the nose suggests. He fulle and heaviest of the flight I think. ****
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12/25/2012 - VinoVeloVinyl wrote: 92 Points
Old gold colour, is this effect of bottle age or simply the way the wine is anyway?
Intensely saline with almond and lemon pith notes
Very intense in the mouth, zesty acids and almost palpable salty essences. Finishes long and round with a clean, nut-oil tinge. Whilst enormously impressive it really shouldn't be approached as a light apertif as we did. Partner with some robust food for best results; think barbecue charred squid with roast peppers and aioli
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11/11/2012 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Quite compelling with a stunning fragrance that combines saline, smoky and roasted almond notes with pure, fresh citrus fruit flavours. The palate is quite remarkable; very polished and elegant with a sense of harmony and finesse to the flavours, and amazing persistence.
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11/11/2012 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Very brief notes on another night of excess (at Salil's): Bottled 2010. Heavier, grittier mouthfeel than the "I Think" had alongside. Complex citrus and apple, spice, saline, with great depth and a long finish. ++
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10/27/2012 - brooklynguy wrote:
in a wonderful place right now. the wine is still saline and pungent but there is also a floral sense now too, something I've noticed that emerges in these wines with a few years in the bottle (this was bottles in early 2010). a complete wine, just gorgeous.
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10/21/2012 - Stefanos T. wrote: 96 Points
This is a wine from another world. Exceptional manzanilla with astonishing complexity, refinement and balance. For the story of this wine: http://www.equiponavazos.com/en/22en.htm
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6/20/2012 - brooklynguy wrote:
This bottle showed beautifully, with clean savory aromas that had both richness and elegance. The wine has such lovely finesse on the palate, and the flavors are still pungent but more mellow. In a great spot, and incredibly delicious.
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5/2/2012 - LoireFan wrote: 90 Points
Muted, uninteresting.
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4/20/2012 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Similar to previous note. Tangy, refreshing and moreish. ****
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4/10/2012 - 14Frimaire wrote:
Righteous
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3/31/2012 - brooklynguy wrote:
Delicious, but more advanced than I would have thought. Perhaps not the finest bottle.
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2/27/2012 - D Brown wrote: 93 Points
Surprisingly dark gold in the glass. Intense, nutty, very fresh nose. A robust attack, enormously complex with a long finish. Briney olives. Roasted nuts. Rock pools. High-class wood polish. Very much in keeping with previous La Bota releases. Very good, if you like this fairly aggressive and medium-bodied style of Manzanilla. It does demand food.
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12/18/2011 - mattsix wrote:
Very good. Almonds, sea shore, apples, honey, lemon, perfect acid.
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12/8/2011 - grafstrb wrote: 95 Points
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over a couple days --
NOSE: incredibly expressive and complex, with a lovely tawny saltiness – green olive – and a hint of anise seed laid atop a wash of wood stain (V/A?), and dotted with notes of fennel, molasses, and hazelnut.
BODY: golden-tan color of medium to medium-deep depth; medium to medium-full bodied.
TASTE: intensely flavored with zippidity acidity; funky cheese – moldy rind cheese, such as tomme de savoie; iodine; hint of golden pipe tobacco; strong toasted almond flavor on the finish, which is long and of medium-strong intensity; quite dry; 15% alc. is very well-hidden and is not noticeable at all; no perceptible tannin; this is an interesting, contemplative wine. Quite remarkable; it’s hard for me to conceptualize how a Manzanilla Sherry could be much better than this one. Superlative.
B: 50, 5, 13, 18, 9 = 95
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8/19/2011 - Biggsy wrote: 95 Points
Pale gold colour. Fresh, delicate aromas of seaside air and cucumber. Superb, so interesting and complex, there are waves of ever-changing flavours each time you return to the glass. The entry is fresh and salty revealing green olives, a honeyed note, orange peel and a nuttiness at the back of the palate. Showing perfect balance and tension, on the second day there is a lovely tobacco / cigar smoke note with zingy lime and crushed almonds in the finish. Fabulous.
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8/13/2011 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
No change to previous tastings. This is typically spanish and finoish. Lentils, raw nuts with a splash of ea de vie.
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8/13/2011 - Harley1199 wrote:
Excepting on Saint Paul´s First Epistle to the Corinthians or Singaporeans (hey Paul your TN are really appreciated) , there is not too much to say about this bottle cause this is, at this point and no doubt about it, a Manzanilla Pasada Style. So darker to the eye and more profound for your nose (salty almonds) but without any significant personality, in any case a refreshing wine; I mean Navazos is not more than a very good marketing operation yet they are not creating their own way. Very goog then? Oh yeah, indeed but if comparing with Panesa o even with Pastrana, number 22 occupies the third honourable place; Do you get it?
Exceptuando en la primera epístola de San Pablo a los Corintos, no hay mucho que decir porque es, en este punto y sin lugar a dudas, un estilo a Manzanilla Pasada. Así que más oscura a la vista y más profunda en nariz (almendras saladas) pero sin mucha personalidad. en ningún caso tenemos un vino refrescante; Quiero decir que Navazos no es más que una interesante operación de marketing pero que no crea su propio camino.¿Muy buena entonces? oh sí, si la comparas con Panesa o incluso con Pastrana, esta número 22 ocupa una honrosa 3ra posición. ¿Lo pillas?
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8/12/2011 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Adam's Baby Shower (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): My stock had ran out, so Kelvin dipped into his for this bottle. It remains a compelling sherry, as good as a Manzanilla gets. This was just popped and poured and showed a beautiful nose, a lot woodier than the previous time, with raw pine scents and lots of walnuts and brazil nuts along with some lovely mineral aromas and a bit of beeswax and dried flowers. Lovely, intoxicating stuff that you could smell from miles away. It was beautiful on the palate too. Dripping with lovely freshness, it filled the mouth with bright flavours of lemon, kumquat, orange peel and dried flowers edged with more of that woody nuttiness drifting into a long, spicy finish that refused to quit. As we learnt from the last bottle, this was incredible good with Jamon Iberico.
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7/31/2011 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Same cognac and raw nuts with lentils. Dry and
Mineral with salinity. Almost tasting sea breeze and fresh oyster iodine.
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7/30/2011 - Paul S wrote: 95 Points
Brian's Housewarming (Moonbeam View): Beautiful. This is one of those wines that I feel privileged to have owned and drank. Bang on form after a couple of bottles that were a bit less than brilliant, this had an absolutely knockout nose, bursting with almond skins, figs, dried limes, wood spice and mahogany, all infused with a floral whiff - one could smell it the moment the bottle was popped. Absolutely lovely. Unlike a couple of previous experiences were the palate did not quite match the nose though, this time it was a killer. Amazingly pure and fresh, yet super rich and powerful, with layer after layer of figs, lemons, almonds, yellow fruit and a spray of salty seabreeze. So rich, so deep, yet almost transparent in the way it danced across the mouth. Right at the very finish, this unfurled into a wonderfully fresh, melony note that stretched away into the distance. Back on form indeed, and this was brilliant. With Jamon Iberico, it was so good that we were transported to culinary heaven.
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6/25/2011 - brooklynguy wrote:
great, great wine, i prefer it to the No 16. Pungent but elegant and detailed aromas of salt and rubber, with fleeting hints at almonds and chamomile tea. lovely complex nose that grows and changes over the next day too. it's the palate that kills though - complete and utter harmony, silky texture, intense flavors that are perfectly balanced. I could drink this every week and never be tired of it.
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6/25/2011 - SimonG wrote:
Darker in colour than I remember it - quite a deep old gold. Oxidation, slightly woody, lovely sea-spray and tangy bite. very good though not as good as previous bottle - I wonder whether this is quite right. Long, complex and interesting though. ****
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6/4/2011 - quickben wrote: 92 Points
Lovely! Caramel and nutty this is a sophisticated manzanilla with some sea saltiness.
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4/7/2011 - Periko wrote:
Cata #6 (Versió Original): Copper-colored, rusty color. Nose of oxidized aromas, apricot, sweet, honey. On palate feels a bit woody, some greens flavour, remarkable bitterness, rebates, sweet finish. Everybody enjoyed this a lot, even though it was good, not my style of wine.
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2/21/2011 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 89 Points
Green olives and anchovies on the nose. Very maritime flavours, almost tending towards a hint of fishiness. Lovely, intriguing manzanilla.
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11/27/2010 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Peter's Exit Dinner (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): A sherry lover's dream Manzanilla - realised quite quickly when this was poured that not all wine lovers are sherry lovers though! Nevertheless, a great wine and just beautiful pairing with roast pork belly and roast suckling pig. Lovely nose showed dusky figs, preserved plusm, a dusting of walnuts, some gentle woody notes and some earthy depth. Palate had all that palate-staining intensity I remembered from the first bottles. Lots of preserved fig skins and lemons bolstered with fresh acidity on the attack and great textured richness on the mid-palate. Past that, it was lightly less powerful at the finish, but still intense and absolutely lipsmackingly delicious as it pulled away with a show of lemon zest and mineral. Somehow the last two bottles did not quite hit the heights of the first time I tried this. Still, I just could not stop drinking this - absolutely delicious.
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11/13/2010 - SimonG wrote:
Dinner at R&Y: Pale straw. Lovely fresh, salty, iodene and sea-spray nose. Similar on palate with a nice, quite rounded and slightly oatmeal spect to the attack before showing more bite and proper salty zing. A serious and more 'grown-up' wine than Manzanilla can be. A lovely aperitif with surprising depth and persistence. ****1/2
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11/5/2010 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Tonight's gonna be a good night (Ah Orh): Cognac nose with dry wok fried nuts. Cucumber, whisky n mineral water. V dry but got sweeter with chilling clams.
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11/3/2010 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Ah Orh, aka - A Wonderful Night of Serious Wines (Ah Orh Seafood, Bukit Merah): Not quite as amazing as the first bottle, which had been opened for half a day before I got to it. Still darn solid though. Incredible nose. Earth, mineral, clam shells, saline sea spray, soy bean, varnished wood and yellow fruit hints all wrapped up in a slightly caramelly, slightly oxidative Cognac-like package. Very nice, a pleasure just to smell. The palate had that just absolutely incredible balance that I remembered from the last bottle. Fresh, lithe, lively, almost bright, so that this is deceptively light and lemony on the attack. But boy, it had profound depth, with absolutely mouthfilling flavours of figs, seashells, Chinese pears and a strong seam of mineral just opening up and zooming into a gripping finish that just kept unfolding and unfolding and unfolding in savoury layers of preserved kumquats, figs, mineral and little pinpricks of spice. A whole rush of flavours there. With a bit of time, some umami was layered throughout the mouth. Wonderful with spicy clams too, with the acidity cutting through the spice, and the clams just opening the wine up to bring out almost sweet pear fruit. Gorgeous, just somehow missing a bit of that stunning profound depth I remembered on the night. K messaged me a day and a half later to say that the remainder of the bottle had opened up to the same mind-blowing proportions as the first bottle. I certainly know what to do the next time I open one of these - give it lots of time and air.
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10/8/2010 - Paul S wrote: 95 Points
Simply Wines - Dry Rieslings and Bedrock Syrahs (+ others!) (Artisan Cellars, Palais Renaissance): An amazing, amazing wine. Who would have thought. Three great dry Rieslings, and this little sherry all but blew them out of the water. Lovely nose had orange peel and orange blossoms scents, dusty earth, some yeasty bread notes, floating flowers and whiffs of salted nuts. The palate was another story altogether though. Amazingly fresh attack, deceptively clean and clear at first, carrying on where the nose left off with a layer of savoury umami and saltiness, some preserved lemons, and then it shifts gear on the mid-palate to show a real rush of white fruits and flowers, kumquats and limes. Just so much going on here. A little pause, where the wine held the same pitch for a little while, and the finish just explodes on you. Absolutely incredible. I find it hard to put it into words, it just completely exploded and kept on unfolding, like a mini big bang across the mouth, with lime peel, fig skin, mineral and nuts just completely staining the mouth from top to bottom. The flavours lingered and lingered, absolutely refusing to let go. This wine had it all - mind-boggling complexity, huge reservoirs of depth, pitch perfect balance. One of the very best sherries I have ever had the joy of tasting.
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