Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX Gran Reserva 1986 - Half Bottle 375ml

We're trying to think of ways to describe this well-aged Pedro Ximenex that don't have us cooing and gushing like some over-excitable newlyweds. Darn it, we just can't help it: we are in love with this wine and we want the world to know!

Here are some words we think of, as we gaze into the rich, dark depths in our glass: cocoa, liquorice, tobacco pouch, rosemary, black olives, Arabic coffee, vanilla and cinnamon. But how feeble words sound compared to the immeasurable depth of feeling in our hearts. We need to sit down.

Located in the heart of the Cordoban countryside, Bodega Toro Albalá first began in 1922. A small farmer by the name of José María Toro Albalá had the idea of keeping aged wines to create wines that were a treat for even the most demanding of palates. At the time, his idea was considered a risk but it became a great success and to this day Toro Albalá are found on some of the best tables across the world.

These “fino” wines became the most popular wines during the 1930’s amongst Andalusian workers. The bodega was restored from a former electric power station, giving rise to an Andalusian joke that the wines are electric; hence the name “Eléctrico” which is still used to day for its “fino” wines.

Quality is the bodegas’ first and only rule. Winemaker Antonio Sanchez Romero says he treats his wines ‘as if they were unique handmade jewellery, giving them originality and letting time have the last word’. Antonio has filled the bodegas with imagination and euphoria: the wonderful PX that can keep the lushness and sweetness of the raisins has given him unanimous recognition. Antonio studied Oenology in Bordeaux and Seville, working for a freelance laboratory for 40 years and, afterwards, took up his position at the family-owned Bodegas Toro Albala. He has won many awards in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles.

Harvested at the end of August, Pedro Ximenez grapes are taken from sandy ground and are left to dry under the sun for about 10 days. The grapes are then pressed and the resulting wine is a sweet grape juice, to which, after partial fermentation, first-class wine alcohol is added. It settles for at least one year in stainless tanks/container for decantation since this wine is not subjected to filtration. The young Pedro Ximenez wine is then subjected to oxidative ageing for a minimum of 25 years in American oak.

Bodegas Toro Albala age the wine for a minimum of 25 years and, in case of this vintage 1983, it has been aged for 29 years, in American oak.

You don’t need to swirl the glass to discover the great aromatic potential of this wine. With a frank smell, it has a wide range of fragrances such as tobacco, cacao cream, liquorice and rosemary, black olive, peach syrup, Arabic coffee, vanilla and cinnamon. It is elegant, complete, easy to sip but long-finishing, with both sweet and bitter notes. A fine match with rich chocolate desserts, ice cream or blue cheese.

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