Tasting Notes
17% ABV. The Don PX wines come from the youngest, sweet vintage wines of Toro Albalá. The carefully selected Pedro Ximénez grapes are hand harvested and then left to dehydrate under the sun on straw mats for up to two weeks, concentrating the grapes sugars. The grapes are then pressed and tipped into fermentation vessels. When the perfect balance between sugar, alcohol and acidity has been reached, the fermenting must is 'stunned' with aguardiente (clear local brandy). The fortified wine is then decanted into stainless steel and local cone-shaped Tinajas tanks to naturally settle (due to the richness of the wine it cannot be filtered), before being bottled straight from the holding vessel.
As these early release wines are not barrel aged nor blended, they are wonderfully pure, grapey examples of Pedro and capture all the delicious raisin and honey notes and tanginess of the style before rancio sets in. The palate glows with concentrated fig, honey and dried fruit notes and finishes with a warm, lingering, sweet finish. This is our kind of amber nectar. It has around 430 grams of sugar and was fortified to 17% alcohol. Despite this natural sugar level it remains remarkably bright and fresh. This can be opened for ever by the way, as can all the PX wines offered here, which makes them perfect for pouring by the glass or keeping open in the fridge. - Importer Note
Founded in 1844, Toro Albalá is arguably the most important producer of Pedro Ximenez in the world today, with the finest vineyard holdings in Montilla (the region for Pedro) as well as the oldest, “legendary” stocks. Toro Albalá was the first Montilla producer to commercialize bottled, dessert-styled Pedro Ximénez in 1970, and remains the world's only specialist in 100% vintage PX.
The key to understanding Toro Albalá's reputation lies in their ability to balance the extraordinary sun-ripened richness and depth of old vine P.X. with a bright, savoury quality, which never allows the wines to veer into the cloying end of the spectrum. This is managed though strict quality control that few in the region can—or are willing to—match, from the old vines and great soils, through to their very long aging process. Additionally, one of the many eccentricities of this producer is their rare vintage-only P.X. wines (the overwhelming majority of P.X. bottlings are blends).
Toro Albalá is based in Aguilar de la Frontera, right in the bullseye of D.O Montilla-Moriles, the hilly Andalucían hinterland that forms 'P.X. country'. The D.O surrounds the two towns of Montilla in the north and Moriles in the south, both in the Province of Cordoba. This Estate had a rather sedate beginning back in 1844, then in 1922 José Maria Toro Albala purchased the property and made his mark by moving the whole bodega into a former electrical plant (hence the Fino Eléctrico). It was here that José Maria began to write the blueprint for the modern incarnation Toro Albalá; to harness the combination of excellent raw materials, modern technology and respect for the traditional Montilla methods and styles. Above all was a serious commitment to making the best dessert wine possible.
Toro Albalá’s old, bush vine Pedro Ximénez is planted on the bleach-white, chalky soils of the region. This albariza soil type is not unique to Montilla-Moriles—Sherry’s other capitals of Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Jerez de la Frontera share the spoils. However, the combination of these light soils, altitude, and the hot, dry climate—that can sufficiently ripen Pedro Ximénez—set Montilla apart from its maritime-influenced sister regions. - Importer Note
| Product Type | Wine Fortified |
| Volume | 375ml |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Jerez |
| Winemaking Practices | Conventional |
| Vineyard Practices | Conventional |