Equipo Navazos

Recently in London there has been a spate of particularly interesting tastings, apart from the more usual merchant and generic body events. The most palate striking for me was the Equipo Navazos tasting of sherries, which they showed alongside their sparkling wines from Jerez and still wines from Palomino. 

These wines feel like a real privilege to taste. Perhaps because it took such passion, single-minded belief and dedication to get them bottled and out for us to enjoy. This team is pushing the boundaries of the grape, the region and the styles as far as it can, testing the limits and giving us a hell of a ride along the way.

And the region badly needs it. Eric Asimov in the New York Times recently wrote an article describing the dire state of the economy in sherry country and the tension at the bodegas as their market shrinks further with each year. 

Make no mistake this is a niche market. Not only is sherry completely off most people's radar (though that is slowly changing with sherry bars like London's groundbreaking Bar Pepito which was swiftly followed by others), but the sherries that this team select are intellectual, complex and challenging. Sherry is one of the acquired tastes of life. If you get it, you are intoxicated and fall deeply in love.

There will always be more nuances to experience and an infinite number of variations possible. This is what Equipo Navazos are bringing to the market.

The 'I Think' Manzanilla en Ramas (2012 & 2010 bottlings) were introduced as a more inclusive style to showcase to a wider audience than the lucky few who tasted the previous La Bota releases. They are younger and much more easily understood by those who have been exposed to Tio Pepe en Rama and the Hidalgo en Rama in recent years. But still unfiltered and retaining an extraordinary complexity, buttery richness and a most delicate, almond stone bitterness on the finish. 

Then the straight Manzanillas - La Bota 32 bottled in Octoberr 2011 from Sanchez Ayala which has been very slightly filtered and La Bota 8 bottled in October 2007. No 8 is from a single vineyard of the same name 'Las Canas'. How many times the word 'extraordinary' appears in my notes but always justified. Quite different to anything I've had before - 5 years in bottle and showing such power, freshness, complexity, an intricate tapestry of flavours. 

Three Botas of Fino next: 35, 27, 18. They are all single vineyard wines from Valdespino - 'Macharnudo Alto'.

35 has not yet been released but was selected in the same way as 18 from the solera plus the first and second criaderas. This gives an added youthful vigour to the wines and perhaps more raciness.

The 27 in contrast was selected from a solera that the team felt was in 'full bloom' and demanded to be bottled to preserve the integrity of a ripe and perfectly mature solera. In some ways the opposite to much of what they have done before in terms of selecting single butts. Very interesting.

The Manzanilla Pasadas have another wonderful story of immense dedication to perfection. In 1986 a 15 butt solera was started with the aim of producing a great old manzanilla which could be added into a normal release to add some kick. It was never used but instead lovingly tended by the capatas at La Guita - Rafael Rivas. Left alone for up to two years at a time to disturb the remaining flor as little as possible and with tiny sacas removed (80 litres). It was then topped up with the very best La Guita solera. It was never released until Equipo Navazos came across it.

Nos. 39 & 40 have yet to be released but come from single barrels within this solera. 39 comes from a barrel singled out for its incredible profundity. I found it the most lacy and delicate of this group.

40 comes from the end barrel 'Bota Punta' of the row. It is accessed most often for samples but importantly only ever topped up with wine from the other 14 barrels in the solera therefore has the oldest wine. I thought this the roundest, most approachable of the 3, mouthwateringly fresh but with immediate ease and charm. 

No. 30 is a very pretty pink gold colour, rich, creamy, nutty with wonderful acidity and piquancy. Its real average age is around 15 years!

The Amontillado No. 37 is from the same source as Amontillado No. 31 but from the immediately preceding criadera. Minute yet utterly distinctive shades of perfection. They are both from La Guita, an old solera moved out of the main bodega in 1980 in a re-shuffle and left to quietly age in other bodegas by the side of the road from Sanlucar to Jerez. The barrels are chalked up as “Manzanilla Pasada”, “Manzanilla Pasada Vieja” or “Manzanilla Pasada Viejísima". 

Who would have believed they would find such a worshipping audience just a few years ago? These were the absolute stars of the show for me. Outstanding, heavenly wines, powerful, treacle, butterscotch, crema catalana. All kinds of things - they literally made me weak at the knees.

The Palo Cortados were everything you could imagine, such finesse and deeply expressive with hazlenuts and orange peel flavours. The 34 was selected after the team tasted several hundred butts of Almacenista García Jarana, most of them untouched for at least five or six years because no-one was drinking them. Finally 6 were chosen and aged further at Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla. The average age is 25 years. 

I didn't taste the sweet wines but I really hope I get another chance. These are truly some of the most impressive and EXTRAORDINARY wines I have ever tasted. They are complicated but heart breakingly beautiful. Once tasted never ever forgotten. 

The success of larger, more commercially conscious bodegas offering more accessible versions of these styles (still marginal though more mainstream in comparison) will only increase the exposure and demand for the more esoteric offerings from Equipo Navazos as more wine lovers hunt these elusive bottles down. 

Movements start on the ground and need foot soldiers as well as visionaries. Thankfully we have both in this field. 

Drinkers - Reclaim Bordeaux!

At Decanter's recent tasting at the Landmark Hotel featuring the wines of Pessac-Léognan, it struck me how rarely they are given any real prominence/space at more encompassing Bordeaux tastings such as the UGC at the Opera House in Covent Garden every year. 

Here the Syndicat Viticole de Pessac-Leognan told us firmly "no-body puts Baby in the corner". 

We were fortunate enough to be tasting the 2009 reds and 2010 whites. The best way round for me. 

The whites are a glorious combination of the fleshy weight of 2009 with the more consistently balancing acidity of the 2008s. 

Overall the impression was of limpid pools of fruit framed by expensive, polished oak. Still getting to know each other but in a courtship nonetheless. Lines of salty tang zig-zagged through, judiciously augmenting the essence of the fruit. 

My favourite wines were generally made up of the classic Sauvignon/Semillon blends. The single varietal Sauvignons were startling pure in a varietal sense, full of integrity (like the Chateau de Cruzeau), very tight and clean but lacked a certain charm, seductiveness and thoughtfulness for me. The Chateau La Louviere 100% Sauvignon with 35% new oak seemed a bit muddled.

A handful of wines had a dollop of Muscadelle, Chateau Olivier (2%), Pape Clement (6%) & Chateau Roche-Lalande (2%). This gave just the subtlest weight in the mid-palate and a hint of perfume. I really love these minute extra dimensions. 

There were also a few outings for Sauvignon Gris, Blanc's cousin, which with its higher sugar levels gave a boost to the aromatics and silkiness of the liquid. I even got distinct bacon fat from the Chateau Couhins. 

The reds were all kinds of blends from 60-40 CabMerlot to 55-45 MerlotCab with lots of splashes of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. On the whole so enjoyable, approachable and with a distinctive Pessac-Leognan combination of minerality with a red earthiness. 

These are the kind of wines that are relevant to me in a personal as opposed to professional way. Wines I can buy and lay down. Not crazy prices but more special than every day - the majority are in the £30-40/btl bracket. They will reward the kind of shorter term ageing that my available space and patience can bear. But still they will evolve and give a Bordeaux education of the old school. 

 Never mind the financial speculating, fakery fiascos and the en primeur circus seemingly baying for its own blood. This is the stuff for people who buy wine to drink, to enjoy, to share, to learn. There's plenty of love outside the gated community of the super wealthy.

Of course it's not quite the same as further up the magical classification but let's not apologise for not having the disposable income of a Russian agricultural peasant turned inexplicable billionaire Oligarch and enjoy what we can.

Bordeaux should not be ignored by the average wine lover, there's so much to be gained. Bordeaux has a magic which is largely forgotten at this level as drinkers turn to other markets - which of course they should, but not at the expense of old friends.

And with modern winemaking, better vineyard management and ever changing climates who's to say we're not getting as much if not more than past generations of 'Lafite for £50' were getting. Well something like that anyway...

My favourite whites:

Domaine de Chevalier 2010  85% SB 15% Sem - ripe, rich, with strong identity. Very good. No RRP

Chateau Couhins 2010 95% SB 5% SGris - very pure with some bacon fat, lots of minerality. Restrained oak. RRP £16.20

Chateau de Fieuzal 2010 60% SB 40% Sem - exciting & tense, lovely fruit. Oak should settle down. RRP £31

Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion 2010 80% SB 20% Sem - grainy texture, big bold oak at this point. Wears its fullness lightly. RRP £41

Chateau LaTour-Martillac 2010 62% SB 38% Sem - dense and textured with some spice on the finish. RRP £35

Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere 2010 85% SB 15% Sem - great balance, the oak is slightly fierce at the moment but underneath that the fruit is ripely delicious. £62.50

Clos Marsalette 2010 50% SB 50% Sem - astonishing and attention grabbing, floral and aniseed nose already balanced and integrated oak, nothing aggressive here - in fact really sophisticated. RRP £24.93

Chateau Olivier 2010 78% SB 20% Sem 2% Muscadelle - Salty tang over clean lines and then a lovely plump weight broadens it all out. Ripe yet restrained fruit. Brilliant. RRP £31 such good value. 

Chateau Pape-Clément 2010 52% SB 34% Sem 8% SGris 6% Muscadelle - the blend certainly brings dynamism and complexity to this terrific wine, fat and buttery oak, mouth puckering acidity and a burst of energetic fruit that leads into a long and satisfying finish. Classy but whoa the price. RRP £130.

Chateau de Rouillac 2010 48% SB 40% SGris 2% Sem - a great example of Bdx Blanc. Rich, fresh, gorgeous length and balanced though still muscular oak. £26

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2010 90% SB 5% SGris 5% Sem - wine of the day for me, a 1930s Rolls Royce with effortless torque gliding through many layers of sumptuous loveliness. Curvaceous, seductive, this tastes expensive and has an aristocratic sense of entitlement. The Landmark decided to test the fire alarm just when I was at this table and when the pourer jokingly suggested we vacate with the wine it took every ounce of self-restraint not to grab a bottle and run. RRP £87

And my favourite reds:

Chateau Brown 2009 56% M 40% CS 4% PV - really enjoyable grip and fruit. RRP £18

Chateau Couhins 2009 55% M 35% CS 10% CF - so good! Rich savoury, strong, impressive at this price. RRP £14.50

Chateau Ferran 2009 65% M 35% CS - fresh, spicy & exciting. Ripe, grippy and long. RRP £14

Chateau de Fieuzal 2009 70% CS 27% M 3% CF - lifted, pure, mint and cassis. Long and stylish. RRP £28

Chateau Haut-Bacalan 2009 80% M 15% CS 5% PV - interesting, plush & long. RRP £100 !!! 

Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion 2009 65% CS 35% M - stylish and elegan. Tiny touch of Brett in a good way. RRP £37

Chateau LaTour Martillac 2009 53% CS 42% M 5% PV - so polished with quite wonderful richness. RRP £35

Chateau Léognan 2009 70% CS 30% M - just lovely lift, great fragrance. Tiny bit green but only seems to add to the crunchy pleasure.

Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere 2009 59% CS 38% M 3% PV - really impressive, opens out gently at first then mightlily in glass after just a few minutes. RRP £50

Chateau Gazin-Roquencourt 2009 55% CS 45% M - Balanced and fruity, a wine already drinking well now. RRP £21 5%

Clos Marsalette 2009 60% CS 35% M 5% CF - wonderful, powerful, silky round and lovely. This is from Count Neipperg of Castillon fame, and as enticing as the white, they have yet to find an importer in the UK. RRP £25-31

Chateau Olivier 2009 60% CS 40% M - very impressive components but nothing integrated as yet. I have every faith it will come together magnificently - fingers crossed. RRP £31

Chateau Pape-Clément 2009 51% CS 40% M - this is going to take a leap of faith, right now it has lots of good - silky and downright delicious, with the worrisome - quite hot. hopefully a balance will be achieved. RRP £110.

Chateau le Sartre 2009 60% CS 40% M - very grown-up, serious & classic. Love this style. RRP £18 Whaaaa? Total bargain if you like the classics. 

Chateau Seguin 2009 50% CS 50% M - cool, classic again, but so ripe and totally what you'd want for dinner. RRP £18.90

Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte 2009 64% CS 30% M 5% CF 1% PV - Ay ya yai. I know that's not a tasting note. It's what I wrote. RRP £218

Fizz vs Beer & Spirits

  I have been thinking about something Jamie Goode tweeted a couple of days ago while he was at the International Sparkling Wine Symposium. He questioned whether Sparkling Wine was actually not competing in the rather narrow (as he described it) wine category but was up against Beer & Spirits.

He got a very quick reply from Dan Jago, the Head of the BWS category for Tesco UK, saying simply "No it isn't". Which I thought was quite funny and succinct. But is he right?

Well he's certainly the best person to comment on it from the off-trade perspective given that Tesco shifts more alcohol than any other retailer. But I think in the on-trade there's more truth in Jamie's point of view.

I've always thought that guys are so lucky when they go to the pub, they just order a beer and are done with it. Lager or Ale, really that's all they have to decide and usually they have a preference one way or another and stick to it. If they do experiment it's not generally going to be a disaster.

I, on the other hand, love going to pubs but stand with a sinking feeling in front of the bar wondering what I'm going to drink. Wine is often very ordinary and not in the least bit refreshing - not even the invariable Sauvignon or Chenin Blanc enthusiastically described as such on the list, but sickly after more than 1 glass - and cocktails are a bit much for an ordinary mid-week evening drink.  

I end up, more often than not, with a gin & tonic or campari & soda. Not very adventurous but safe, but also much more alcoholic than I really want. 

Sparkling wine is exactly right for the mood I'm talking about. And it's not just Prosecco or Cava anymore - the wealth of English Fizz, Cremants, Franciacortas etc etc give us so many stylish options. 

It's refreshing, fizzy, cold, affordable and looks good. That ticks all the marketing boxes.

And the beauty of it is, if the sparkling wine turns out to be a bit rough (which sometimes, let's face it, can be the case) it just takes a tiny drop of fruit sirop to transform it. 

For me, at least, Sparkling wine in the on-trade is definitely a completely different category to wine and my perfect alternative to beer or spirits. 

Good call Jamie. 

Mundaka to San Sebastien along the coast

The little fishing town of Mundaka is really gorgeous. You approach from the south through a Biosphere Reserve. The Bird Centre is dedicated to research about the migration of the many species which travel the spectacular route over the Cantabrian Estuaries, crossing the Iberian Peninsula to Africa. Extraordinary creatures. Any interested ornotholgists can spend time in their viewing room with its fantastic vista across the wetlands. 

The first sight of the town is across the shallow waters running in to the bay and which, due to the sandbanks below the water, cause some of the best left-hand wave for surfers in Europe apparently. The day we were there though the tide was well and truly out and there was not the slightest breeze to indicate any fun to be had on a surfboard. Though in true surfer style there were some diehards in wetsuits paddling around in vain hope.

However there was plenty of fun to be had wandering around the tiny harbour, with little kids hurling themselves off the end of the pier into what must have been freezing water and old men in wide brimmed hats sitting companiably together on benches looking out to sea.  

We sat at a little cafe under trees overlooking the boats (the first picture above) and had a couple of glasses of manzanilla - wrong end of the country I know - and a few tapas including this thinly sliced octopus threaded onto skewers. Clever presentation of a classic. Tender and delicious too.

After a short stroll around the town we got back into the car and headed along the coast. The roads are fairly narrow and very twisty but through stunning scenery and without children complaining of nausea in the back we made the most of it. And with an ex-racing driver at the wheel it was exhilarating. Though he complained about the lack of speed due to non-stop cornering around this spectacularly twisting, turning route. 

Once we got to San Sebastien, we parked the car and headed across the bridge to the old town.

This is a ravishingly beautiful city which seduces immediately. The light in the late afternoon was generously soft and full and yellow gold, bouncing off the lovely warm stone facades playfully. 

The streets are a warren of tapas bars each with their specialities and mostly with bar counters bowed under the weight of plates and platters of pintxos.

 We spent a happy afternoon strolling around going from one place to another, completely the wrong time of day but no less content for it, and more than willing to try recommended dishes, wines and sidra. The people in the bars were super friendly and I couldn't help wondering if in other places with such a high tourist count the locals would be a little more disdainful and somewhat less than enthusiastic. Here we were made to feel wonderfully welcome and on the elegant promenade with its warm and soft sea breeze, we watched the sun gently set and promised ourselves we would return soon. 

The Lost Kingdom of Navarra

 

I recently went on my first trip to this ancient, rugged land that borders France in the north-east corner of Spain.

Wines have been made here from the Roman days through to the days of Arab rule and became cemented in its history by the monks who set up monasteries along the Santiago de Compostela route, which goes straight through Navarra, and needed succour for their thirsty pilgrims. And no doubt for themselves too.

They brought cuttings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Bordeaux and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Burgundy. As Pilar Garcia-Granero, the head of the Consejo Regulador, was at pains to tell us, when these varieties were re-planted in the 80's and 90's they were merely reviving the viticulture of the 10th and 11th century monks - NOT jumping on an 'international bandwagon'. 

These varieties are particularly suited to specific sites across the region's diverse lanscape but it took time for these sites to be located as local knowledge disappeared with the arrival of phloxera in C19th and the grubbing up of all the old vineyards, as no records were kept. 

But with the new wave of highly motivated winemakers has come the revolution. There are some extraordinary wines being produced with such purity of terroir expression, it would be impossible to label them 'international'. 

Garnacha too has had its low points. Post-phylloxera growers were anxious about re-planting varieties that were tricky to grow and so widely planted the pest resistant and high yielding Garnacha. Quality overall in the region suffered as mass-produced rosé and cheap red plonk became associated with Navarra. Since when many growers wanted to distance themselves from it. However it has found some champions recently.

The first bodega we visited, Domaines Lupier - the name itself betraying the French historical overlap in this border Kingdom - was to turn all concept of a mass-production variety on its head.

This husband and wife team, Enrique Basarte & Elisa Ucar, have painstakingly brought back to life no fewer than 27 tiny plots of old vine garnacha clinging to scrubby mountain sides between 400-750m altitude. These terraced plots

are inaccessible by tractor so all the work is back-breakingly (the vines are tiny gobelet bushes close to the ground) done by hand - including harvesting which involves a 10 minute walk to the top of the foothill with each basket of grapes, where there is a road for the tractor to wait.

This incredible passion and attention to detail - including planting lavender and chamomile among the vines to improve the soil - is brought out in the wines.

An incredible expression of what can be achieved with 100 year old vines and unbridled enthusiasm. Due to luggage restrictions I could only bring back 2 bottles - these were the 2 wines I chose. 

We also visited other small-ish bodegas with fascinating stories and sharing the same passion and desire to produce world class wines - they have real belief in their land and their vines and tasting the finished product you see exactly why.

Tandem was created by Jose Fraile and winemaker Alicia Eyaralar in 2003. The Santiago de Compostela runs right in front of their property and from the glass tasting room you can pilgrim watch. 

The winery itself is a thing of modern beauty. The glass, slate and concrete building is a confident, bold statement. The curve of the hillside has been used to great effect with corridors and skylights created to make the most of the natural light, which floods in to the winery. And it is partially underground which makes it energy efficient. 

They make some fantastic wines. The Inmacula 2010 100% Viognier fermented in 300ltr French oak barrels over lees was a highlight, rewarding, rich and yet fresh and beautifully balanced. Also stars that day were the Ars in Vitro 2007 a Tempranillo / Merlot blend and the Ars Nova 2005 Tempranillo / Cab Sauv / Merlot. The Mars Macula 2005 Cab Sauv / Merlot was spectacular but needs several more years to achieve it's potential. 

Nekeas is a mid-sized bodega set in a beautiful valley which we had to have a drive around to appreciate its full beauty even though we were running SO late.

The winemaker, Concha Vecino, has worked there for over 20 years and her dedication is immediately apparent from the moment she welcomes you at the door to her domaine - the harvest was in full flow and her excitement was palpable.

Her intricate knowledge seemingly of every vine is astonishing and when she told me that she moved into a house on the vineyard so that she can feel on her skin what the vines feel, I wanted to move in with her.

We tasted several of her wines in the apothecary-like tasting room and enjoyed them very much. Sadly only the El Chaparral is available in the UK through Majestic but hopefully this will change soon.

2 much bigger operations also showed that no matter what size you are, the devil is in the detail and if you are a pioneer of detailed research and innovation like Javier Ochoa the brand you have created will stand for quality and terroir no matter how big it gets.

Bodega Inurrieta by contrast is only a decade old but has the size and scope to match its ambition. They were also fantastically hospitable and one of the uncles cooked lunch for our rather large party in the bodega. A family affair as various members joined us. Their wines are available widely in the UK and are well worth seeking out.

And before we left we stopped off at Bodegas Julian Chivite. They have an enviable spot in Navarra and are one of the oldest family-owned wineries here with traditions dating back to the 1600s. 

They have a state of the art winery which they are very proud to say blends completely into the stunning surroundings and never detracts from the natural beauty of the land. They even use wooden bottle crates instead of metal cages.

They have a vast array of wines and I have to say there wasn't a bad one among them, the superlatives around the table just got more extravagant with each round. There are 3 distinct ranges - the Gran Feudo which is a lighter style, very pretty and easy to drink.

Then the Colleccion 125 which are beautifully well-made, the Chardonnay being in a Meursault style with peaches, salty pecans, blue cheese, crushed hazlenuts, wow! And the red - mainly Tempranillo - lifted, perfumed and great delicacy overlaying the power.  

And then the Arinzano blockbusters which need plenty of time. The 2001 was well-structured and complex - blueberries, sausages, spice, dried shrimp, black olives. Will be amazing but still way too young. And the 2004 was more generous and friendly - more Spanish but still too young and slightly tight. Every reason to believe it will reward patience.

I was entranced by Navarra, a region of so many landscapes and terroirs as well as its fascinating history with France, not just Bordeaux but relationships stretching as far as Champagne. Not too mention the vegetable garden from which we feasted richly - artichokes, white asparagus, tiny peas and sweet lettuces. More on the food, the coastal road trip and the Sidreria in another post. 

For now I can only encourage you to check out modern Navarra - there's more to it than the San Fermin of Pamplona!