Equipo Navazos La Bota 76 Pedro Ximénez, Jerez

Dark brown like molasses. Concentrated and intense fig and raisin. Liquidised raisin and Christmas pudding edged with a fine bitter-orange note that brings freshness. It is obviously super-sweet but amazingly not super-cloying. Power and richness and total hedonism...

18 points Julia Harding MW, Jancis Robinson

A rare, pure PX from a twelve-barrel solera that has barely been touched in over two decades. The solera is located in the Sacristía of Bodegas Real Tesoro and was filled in 2000 with already mature PX, carefully selected from the stocks of a small Sanlúcar producer that no longer exists. Since then it has remained almost entirely undisturbed, with only one small La Bota release back in 2008. By the time of this saca, the average age of the wine is at least 30 years. Unlike most PX, which is often blended with oloroso, this is a pure Pedro Ximénez made in the Jerez style: fortified initially to 18.5% alc. and aged in butts filled to only 5/6 capacity, a technique that deepens the oxidative complexity the style is known for. Time in the solera has brought the alcohol down to 16% alc. today. This is an almost indestructible wine that will grow with bottle age.

Equipo Navazos began in 2005 as a passion project between Jesús Barquín, Eduardo Ojeda and a small group of friends fascinated by the extraordinary wines ageing quietly in the cellars of Jerez. Their idea was simple: find exceptional individual casks and small soleras, bottle them with minimal interference and let drinkers experience wines that might otherwise never leave the bodega. The numbered La Bota releases have since become some of the most sought after wines in the sherry world, and No. 76 takes us into the wonderfully decadent territory of Pedro Ximénez.

Pedro Ximénez, or PX, is made from grapes traditionally dried in the sun after harvest, concentrating their sugars before fermentation. Long oxidative ageing then develops the remarkable combination of sweetness, dark fruit and savoury complexity that defines the style. La Bota No. 76 is a particularly concentrated expression, where the richness is matched by the bitter chocolate, roasted coffee and rancio notes that make mature PX so fascinating. This is emphatically not an ordinary dessert wine.

Almost opaque mahogany black with a dark amber rim, releasing extraordinary aromas of dried figs, dates, raisins and black treacle. Bitter chocolate, espresso, walnut and orange marmalade follow, with liquorice, tobacco and old polished wood adding another dimension. The palate is enormously rich and velvety, almost syrupy in texture, yet its intensity is balanced by bitter cocoa, roasted nuts and a surprisingly savoury edge. Fig, molasses and dark chocolate seem to linger indefinitely, finishing with coffee, walnut and warming spice.

A small glass alongside dark chocolate fondant is a rather magnificent indulgence, while vanilla bean ice cream, blue cheese with toasted walnuts or a bitter chocolate and orange tart would be equally persuasive. A little poured over excellent vanilla ice cream is also a perfectly respectable way to end an evening. Serve lightly chilled in a proper wine glass and take your time. A wine this concentrated is made for sipping rather than rushing.