Equipo Navazos

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In 2005, a small group of friends and devoted Sherry enthusiasts made a remarkable discovery during a cellar visit in Sanlúcar de Barrameda: a few dozen casks of an extraordinary amontillado that had been aging for more than 20 years. Unsold and largely forgotten, the wine retained a steely precision that reflected its origins as a manzanilla. Inspired by the find, the group privately bottled 600 bottles for their own enjoyment and to share with fellow enthusiasts. The following year, they repeated the exercise twice with different selections, gradually transforming their passion project into a small-scale commercial venture.

Calling themselves Equipo Navazos, a reference to the traditional farming technique in Sanlúcar (known as navazos) whereby topsoil is excavated to allow moisture from an underlying aquifer to reach the surface, the group quickly gained a cult following among Sherry aficionados captivated by the intensity and complexity of these micro bottlings. While the project's reach and production have expanded over the years, quantities remain extremely limited, with most releases numbering only a few thousand bottles and often just a few hundred.

Today, Equipo Navazos remains a passion project led by its two core members, both of whom continue to maintain full-time careers. Jesús Barquín is a professor of criminal law at the University of Granada and one of Spain's foremost authorities on the wines of Andalucía, having authored numerous books and articles on the subject. Eduardo Ojeda serves as technical director of Grupo Estévez, owner of renowned Sherry houses including Valdespino and La Guita. Their expertise, reputations, and extensive relationships throughout the region grant them unparalleled access to Andalucía's historic cellars and allow them to influence projects from increasingly earlier stages of production.

At a time when much of the Sherry industry prioritizes consistency and scale, Equipo Navazos embraces the individuality of each wine it discovers and shepherds into bottle. Every release is sequentially numbered as ‘La Bota #…’ and possesses its own story, provenance, and distinctive personality. The resulting portfolio spans an astonishing stylistic range. In addition to working with Palomino Fino through partnerships with bodegas in Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the group also collaborates with producers in Montilla-Moriles, a warmer region celebrated for both dry and sweet expressions of Pedro Ximénez.

While their methods may be unconventional, Equipo Navazos also serves as a bridge to Andalucía's pre-industrial winemaking traditions. Their 'Navazos-Niepoort' bottlings of unfortified Palomino Fino from exceptional vineyards are spontaneously fermented in cask and aged under flor, evoking the wines of Andalucía from the late 1700s. They have also revived the historic concept of 'fino amontillado,' an obscure category no longer permitted on labels but one that holds deep historical significance among Sherry connoisseurs. Further expanding the boundaries of the category, the group's 'OVNI' bottlings present unfortified, low-alcohol expressions of Palomino Fino and Pedro Ximénez with minimal flor influence, offering yet another perspective on one of the world's most fascinating wine regions.