Toro Albalá - Don PX 1946
Legend has it that the Pedro Ximénez (PX) grape variety was taken from the Rhine Valley to Southern Spain by the Spanish soldier Pedro Ximen after the wars in Northern European countries, approximately in what’s now called Belgium and The Netherlands. A nice story but far from the truth. Contemporary DNA research shows that the grape descends from the table grape Gibi, which has its origin in North Africa.
The Moors take the grape with them during their domination of Spain and plant it in Andalusia, which has a similar climate to the North of Africa. The best terroir for the PX is the poor sandy soil on the plains of Córdoba, specifically around the villages of Montilla and Moriles.
The extremely hot summers, with temperatures often higher than 40 °C, cause a high sugar development in the grapes, making it almost impossible to make a dry wine. After the harvest, the grapes are often further dried into raisins, after which they are pressed and vinified. The result is a sweet wine with aromas of caramel, dried figs and, of course, raisins and the consistency of syrup.
The best PX is made by Toro Albalá, who have been located in the heart of the Montilla-Moriles appellation for almost 100 years. The highlight has to be the 1946 'Don PX Convento Selección', which scores 100 points with Robert Parker. Only 825 bottles of this exquisite wine have been filled, making this a real collector's item.
You can add a bottle to your collection by bidding on lot 3630 in our June auction.
The Moors take the grape with them during their domination of Spain and plant it in Andalusia, which has a similar climate to the North of Africa. The best terroir for the PX is the poor sandy soil on the plains of Córdoba, specifically around the villages of Montilla and Moriles.
The extremely hot summers, with temperatures often higher than 40 °C, cause a high sugar development in the grapes, making it almost impossible to make a dry wine. After the harvest, the grapes are often further dried into raisins, after which they are pressed and vinified. The result is a sweet wine with aromas of caramel, dried figs and, of course, raisins and the consistency of syrup.
The best PX is made by Toro Albalá, who have been located in the heart of the Montilla-Moriles appellation for almost 100 years. The highlight has to be the 1946 'Don PX Convento Selección', which scores 100 points with Robert Parker. Only 825 bottles of this exquisite wine have been filled, making this a real collector's item.
You can add a bottle to your collection by bidding on lot 3630 in our June auction.
“It is as decadent as it gets. 825 bottles were produced. This wine will survive all of us. These wines are kept for generations and offered in very small quantities, but it’s amazing that you can still buy and drink something so old, and I’m even tempted to say that it might represent good value for what it is. A real tour de force sweet wine. Drink it if you ever have the privilege to do so…” – 100/100, Luis Gutiérrez for The Wine Advocate (‘Robert Parker’)