This festive season, forget socks, soap sets and novelty Santa boxers, the ultimate stocking stuffer for your favourite wine-geek (or, letâs be honest, for yourself) is finally here. Weâve just unpacked a treasure trove from Equipo Navazos, the cult Sherry collective that has turned the forgotten corners of Andalusiaâs great bodegas into liquid gold.
Born from a group of friends rummaging through dusty, neglected soleras in Jerez, SanlĂșcar and Montilla, Equipo Navazos built its reputation by bottling tiny parcels of rare, high-intensity Sherries that stunned connoisseurs. Their releases are famously small, often just a few hundred bottles, and universally celebrated for being some of the most layered, complex and downright distinctive wines on the planet.
And now? You can slip them straight under the tree.
From the haunting depth of La Bota 108 Oloroso to the salty crackle of Manzanilla Pasada 103, the whisky-kissed intrigue of La Bota de Malt Whisky No. 104, and the classic I Think range, Museumâs latest haul runs from £14.99 to ÂŁ99, meaning thereâs a bottle for every palate and every budget.
Even better, you can pick ân mix your favourites and take 10% off any 6 bottles.
A festive gift with real flavour? Consider your shopping wrapped.
#StockingStuffers
Serious Stocking Stuffers
Equipo Navazos
A vibrant, edgy Manzanilla with a salty tang and piercing minerality, showcasing complexity and weight. This release is a personal selection from Eduardo Ojedaâs casks, bottled âen ramaâ with minimal filtration to preserve its raw character. Aged for over four years under flor, it retains its intense golden color and pungent, authentic flavors straight from the barrel. A humble homage to Charles Darwin, this untamed Manzanilla expresses the unique terroir of SanlĂșcar and invites a broader appreciation of traditional Andalusian wines.
La Bota de Palo Cortado 102 âflorpower mmxâ is the third release of a groundbreaking contribution to the concept of palo Cortado in the Sherry District and the result of decades of experience by Eduardo Ojeda and his team. This is a sherry which, despite its relative youth, meets the strict requirements of elegance, purity and complexity. This truly delicate and attractive palo cortado is doubly special as it is a single vineyard and vintage wine. The La Bota de Palo Cortado 102 comes from a selection of musts from grapes harvested in 2010 at the Pago Miraflores La Baja, in SanlĂșcar de Barrameda. Extremely old vines (one plot is 50+ years old and a second is 80+ years old).
La Bota de Florpower is a series made by Equipo Navazos as a white wine, a manzanilla and this Palo Cortado. The Palo Cortado 102 has matured in sherry casks and in bordeaux barriques filled almost to the top (a tocadedos) to avoid excessive oxidation. For this one has combined the contents of a few 225 liter barrels (the one from which edition no. 75 is made) with the unique and the first edition namely the La Bota de Palo Cortado 52 âSanlĂșcarâ. It is of course an oxidative wine, which has only a slight natural and almost unavoidable exposure to biological aging in the tanks where the must waited to fortify to 17.5% abv. before being transferred to the aging vessels. Even in the almost absolute absence of flor, this wine has the typical minerality of the coastal vineyards in SanlĂșcar where it comes from. For a Palo Cortada, the alcohol content is a fairly moderate 18%, and this alcohol is perfectly integrated and balanced, making it a very drinkable and refreshing wine yet very complex. Probably the best match imaginable for a long list of oriental dishes, from India to Japan, with a very particular leaning towards the Asian Southeast. A jewel of a wine that has a long life.
Palo Cortado is a fairly rare sherry variety that initially matures under flor to become a fino or amontillado, but then loses its veil of flor and begins to mature oxidatively. The result is a wine with some of the richness of oloroso and some of the crispness of Amontillado.
The historic wineries on Calle Misericordia in SanlĂșcar de Barrameda underwent a thorough renovation a few years ago. The renovations didn’t significantly affect the thousands of casks of Manzanilla sherry stored in the two main buildings, but they did impact the wines in the Sala de Banderas (Hall of Flags), mostly elegant Amontillado Manzanilla wines. In addition to the dozens of casks that now line the walls of this secluded winery building, there are some special vessels, both in size and origin, including two 90-arroba barrels, prominently displayed in the corners of the building.
The casks were filled with a selection of the finest casks from the first criadera (1/41) of the extraordinary Manzanilla Pasada from Misericordia, the same lineage that also includes the memorable 10, 20, 30, etc. editions of the La Bota series. Just as we did in 2016 for the 70th edition, we have again drawn from these two casks of Manzanilla Pasada to extract the wine contained in each of the 1,500 ml bottles of La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada 103 âMagnumâ.
This aged Manzanilla is typically around 13 years old. It’s a complex and powerful wine, with a balanced freshness and elegant oxidative notes that give it a distinctive character. It pairs beautifully with a variety of dishes, including stews and rice dishes, vegetables, and semi-cured cheeses. It’s recommended to serve it at around 11°C, always in a wide glass.
