Amontillado Alcade Bota Unica, Bodegas Barbadillo N.V.

The bottled NV Amontillado La Bota del Alcalde is every bit as good as the sample I tasted last year. It's a one-off very old Amontillado that is more concentrated because the wine had never been bottled; it was a special 800-liter cask that was reserved for the Major of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The wine is estimated to be 80 years of age, but it's still quite balanced and approachable. It has a dark and bright amber color and a nose of rusty iron, low tide, iodine, seaweed and struck match (reductive!)—classical old Amontillado descriptors but in an elegant style, with great finesse and balance. What's impressive is the very pungent palate; it's sharp, with flavors of seawater and salted caramel. The flavor stays with you forever... A total of 1,200 half bottles and 75 magnums were filled in September 2025. Drink: 2025-2055