Two from Europe: Another Sherry Masterwork and a Calvados XO

[John Trombley]

Two items from the October 2015 trip to Europe:

Equipo Navazos Manzanilla Pasada 39 Bota 'NO' NV; Hija de Rainera Pérez Martin.

Gift from Peter R. after our dinner in Cologne (Cöln) T-cork.15 pabv. Rich green-brown color. Some volatile acidity at first, giving way to typical sherry nuttiness with a touch of honey, great depth, clarity, and focus, almost like a great Mosel Riesling in a way. A kind of bouquet of spring flowers is also perceived, and some white tea notes, braced by some orange flower and orange peel. There is, something like a Ruwer Riesling, a breath of fresh air here too. With swirling a not unusual brothiness emerges, such as a good concentrated veal stock might provide.

The entry is juicy with a nice touch of smokiness; a good minerality and soup note comes, and the whole comes to a nice appetizing finish.

Tremendous match with a Wingaard Affineurs Woerden Belegen Affine 36 months from the Netherlands. Both the cheese and the wine are changed completely by each other, providing a sweet neutral nut-paste flavor that is neither one nor the other. An amazing match.

As I have no experience with aging these, but am very impressed by its complex concentration, I'll say drink now through 2030.

Sr. Jesus Barquin wrote to me concerning these wines:

The number 39 is purely sequencial. Each of our wines in La Bota series holds a number that is the next one compared with the previous one. For instance, in the last few days we have bottled La Bota #60 & #61, and a couple months ago we bottled 58 & 59. La Bota 39 was bottled around three years ago, in 2012, together with no. 40, then it was 41, 42, etc. "Bota NO" means that it is a special cask which has been kept apart of the regular regime of withdrawals of that solera. For this, there is the tradition to mark the casks with a "NO" written with a chalk as a message to the cellar master and workers of the bodega so that they DO NOT touch the content of the cask in any periodical withdrawal. It is complicated, I know, but things like this make the understanding of the whole winemaking thing in Jerez more and more exciting and intellectually challenging.

A bota is a cask with a capacity of 500/600 liters usually. A batch of botas form a criadera. A few criaderas, arranged from younger to older, form a solera. However solera has another meaning: the oldest criadera in a given solera system, i.e. the batch of casks from where the wine is withdrawn.

This is a wine coming from a single butt in a Solera, namely cask no. 13 in a batch of 15 that form the solera 1/15 of this Manzanilla Pasada. And you are right that all this is quite complicated; frequently the solera system and other details of Sherry wine are overly simplified so as to try to make it easier to communicate, but I think it is a mistake because such excessive simplification leads to misconceptions, and we winelovers are not precisely young children but people who enjoy understanding the wonders of grape growing and wine making in all its complexity. May I take the liberty to recommend you my book, written together with Peter Liem, Sherry, Manzanilla and Montilla (http://www.amazon.com/Sherry-Manzanilla ... 597&sr=8-1).
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and

Boulard Calvados Pays d'Auge XO

10/28/2015 rated 89 points: €47/700 ml; Amsterdam Schiphol Airport; Gebr. Heinemann HH. T-cork and fancy oversize cardboard gift box. UPC 3152900051310 (Europe). From Impitoyable. Amber-green yellow. Sheeting but holds up without tears. With about 10 percent spring water (Ice Mountain).

Rich lacquer with a vibrant edge (sweet touch of vanillin with vibrant edge, giving way to spices and tropical flowers). Some pungency and leafiness--coarse Russian tea? Sharp juicy vibrant energy hits tip of toungue, with the merest hint of cannabis dirtiness flows out to a finish which is otherwise long and neutral but not empty, if that makes sense. As it's allowed some air the midpalate becomes apples with a hint of salt and pepper. Really requires a bit more cask time, or a good dollop of water, to score an excellent. Experimented with adding 2 drops of organic Florida cane syrup, which takes off the edge and makes more fiendly but of course is quality-neutral.

Attempt at cheese match. Wingaard Woerden Affinois Belegen Affiné: 36 month-a cheddar-like, rich dessert cheese, near Gouda but with a little more neutrality of fruit, didn't conflict but also didn't add much to either experience. Bought the cheese at the same airport, at about €19/850 g.