“The extremely old wines are bottled in half bottles, but the NV La Bota de Palo Cortado 86 Bota NO taken from a single cask is not that old; it’s around 30 years of age and from Montilla-Moriles, not from Jerez, and therefore produced with Pedro Ximénez grapes (selected because of the variety’s purity and finesse) instead of Palomino. It was produced by Pérez Barquero, one of the finest producers in Montilla-Moriles—as the finesse of this wine confirms. This is now 19% alcohol, allegedly from sheer concentration through evaporation. But this is not as concentrated and pungent as the extremely old wines; this feels lighter and more delicate, with the finesse and verticality (even if it was never aged under flor) that is expected from the biological wines. It started its life as an Oloroso, but given that fine character, it was deemed a Palo Cortado. And even within the Palo Cortado, this is extremely elegant. This is a true Palo Cortado, a fine oxidative wine. 1,100 bottles were filled in October 2018. 95pts.”
Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
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“On the palate, the concentration is immense but there’s none of the bitterness that you sometimes get on very intense and mature sherry. There’s something a little roasted here but not coffee, smoky perhaps. Even with all this concentration, it finishes wonderfully fresh and goes on for ever so that it is almost a chewy food. As it opens, I find something like dried flowers and lavender. Incredibly complex. 19pts.”
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
