Equipo Navazos I Think Manzanilla Saca March 2024 375mL

Once described by Max Allen as licking oyster shells in rolling surf, this ground-breaking Manzanilla comes from a 60-strong cask selection made by Navazos founders Jesus Barquín and Eduardo Ojeda that was plucked from the production of La Guita, one of the most famous (and finest) Manzanilla producers (and where, for decades Ojeda oversaw production in his previous role as the technical director of José Estévez). As always, this current bottling was drawn from its barrels en rama (directly from the barrels with only the lightest filtration). This is how Manzanilla used to be bottled before sterile filtering became the standard in Jerez.

The current batch was bottled in March 2024. It’s a wonderfully potent and briny yet seductive wine with a deep, silky texture and plenty of sustained, tangy drive. Four and a half years under flor and gentle bottling direct from cask has also delivered a vibrant gold colour and some nutty development. It’s a much deeper colour than most other Manzanillas on the market (which are typically very clear due to their youth and sterile filtration). That makes this unique in comparison to other Manzanillas in its price range. It remains light years ahead of more common, conventional Manzanillas.