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Saca of June 2024. This astonishing Sherry vinegar is the younger sibling of the exceptionally old Gran Reserva (La Bota 106) we shipped last year. This bottling is also sourced from Bodegas Páez Morilla, which put Jerez vinegar on the international map. Its owner, Antonio Páez Lobato, is known as the ‘King of Vinegar’, and his work was instrumental in getting this unique product its own Denominación de Origen.
Made using the traditional Criaderas y Solera method, this Vinagre de Jerez Reserva was made with wine that was already almost 15 years old, an age to which Barquín estimates another 15 years must be added; it is at least 30 years old. Just 1,400 half bottles were drawn from the de punta casks (located at the extreme of each batch of casks). Compared to the seven or eight degrees of acetic acid that the oldest and noblest vinegars on the market usually have, here we are above 10! At such a high grade, it retains a few degrees of alcohol. “It’s a real beast,” exclaims Navazos’ co-founder Jesús Barquín! Beastly good, we might add.
Vinegars like this are often used to give character to younger ones, but here it has been bottled as is, without any watering down. Ideal for aromatising dishes with just a few drops, usually a minimal amount will suffice as a dressing. Another interesting option could be to prepare a mixture of sherry in a small bottle (it can be very old, but also a young Amontillado, or even a Fino) and this vinegar; for example, 1/4 of the former and 3/4 of the latter. Or it can be used less sparingly: a marinade or escabeche prepared entirely with this vinegar will be an exceptional dish.