Montilla
Pedro Ximénez
After
fortification, the majority of wines
(called de solera wines) are aged in a solera system, using American
oak
barrels. Some wines
are set aside to be
single vintage: these are the de anada or de cosecha wines, which are
aged in
earthenware jars called tinajas.
The solera
system starts by laying down a series
of barrels of wine of the same, quality and character.
The following year, a tier of barrels of younger
but similar wines is placed above it: this is known as the first
criadera. Further
criaderas are added in subsequent
years: in Montilla, there are usually three, four or five tiers of
barrels in a
solera. For
bottling, wine is drawn off
from the oldest barrels at the bottom of the solera, which are then
refilled
with the same amount of wine from the first criadera; the first
criadera is
refilled from the second and so on.
No
more than a third is renewed at any one time, and no more than 40% in a
year,
so that there is time for the younger wines to take on something of the
character of the older wines. A
solera
may continue for many years, eventually containing only an
infinitesimal amount
of the original wine. The
solera year
indicates when the solera was begun: it is not a vintage year.
Alvear
Alvear has
been a family-owned company since
1729. Their
vineyards are located in the
top ‘pagos’ of the Montilla hills; Las Puentes, El
Lagarito and Rompebonetes.
A lightish colour. There
are salted
almonds, youthful dried fruits and citrus notes on the nose. It has a luxurious,
elegant mouthfeel,
feeling quite honeyed, and is actually not too sweet, at least in PX
terms. 89/100
This was tasted with Rococo White Chocolate with Cardamom, which proved
to be
an excellent combination, with both the wine and the chocolate really
adding
something to each other.
Bodegas
Moreno SA, a
food and drink business, dates back
to 1935 with the Musa brand dating back to 1940.
Bodegas
A mid teak colour. Quite
a sherry –
salty Oloroso – nose, with light, fresh, orangey caramel and
fresh grapes. Very
orangey palate with a touch of cognac
flavours on the finish. Very
interesting. 90/100
There’s some confusion here in my mind, that they
didn’t manage to resolve: the
label says Añada 1925, which should mean that it’s
single vintage, but all the
literature talks of it being aged in solera begun in 1925. Whatever, it is, even for
a PX, a very deep
colour. There are
dried fruits and
grapefruit on the nose with a bit of a herbal note.
Although this is by far the sweetest PX here
today, with 550 grams of residual sugar per litre, it actually
doesn’t feel
oversweet, but has some bright, fresh citrus and grapefruit flavours,
alongside
mocha and raisins. 91/100
This was paired with Sir Hans Sloane Orange Blossom Milk Chocolate. The match worked very well
indeed: the orange
blossom really picks up on something in the wine, and the honeycomb
pieces in
the chocolate somehow, intriguingly manages to balance the richness of
the PX.
Bodegas
La
The
Cooperativa Agricola La Aurora was
established in 1964 and deals in the two core products of Andalucia:
wine and
olive oil.
This has much more of a “normal” PX colour
– a deepish brown, and very
glass-coating. Yellowing
at the rim. There’s
treacle and grapefruit on the
nose. Excellent
palate. Very
balanced. It’s
massively sweet, of course. But
there’s a honey and citrus element and a
freshening acidity that keeps it from becoming too over the top. 89/100
This has a very complex nose with rich silky chocolate and coffee
alongside
dried fruit and raisins. A
delicious
wine. Lovely and
rich with a sort of
toastiness to start with and then a full hint of chocolate on the
finish, but
it also has a nice freshness.
This was paired with William Curley’s Raspberry and Toscano
chocolate. Toscano
is a dark chocolate from the Italian
producer, Amadei, whom Curley represents in the
Navisa
Industrial Vinicola
Navisa is one
of the biggest companies in the
Montilla-Moriles area. It
produces a
wide range of wines under the brands Cobos,
Aged for seven years in the solera.
Quite a bit simpler on the nose than the previous ones:
cleaner and
fresher. Simpler on
the palate too: it
lacks the complexity of the preceding wines and is the first to have a
bit of a
spirit kick. The
palate is dominated by
roast coffee and grapefruit flavours, with the coffee and roasting very
much to
the fore. 83/100
Aged for 10 years in barrel, with deliberate oxidation.
This has a lovely fresh nose, again with
grapefruit; this time accompanied by some crispy baked bread crusts,
vanilla, caramel,
rum and raisin, and some mocha. Very
nice palate: rich and luxurious.
Possibly lacking some of the complexity of a couple of the
others, but
it is very attractive indeed. Very
enjoyable. 89/100
This was paired with Amedei Porcelana chocolate.
Amedei is an Italian family business that
focuses on single estates. Porcelana
is
a specific bean, which in Amadei’s hands produces a very
elegant bar of
chocolate with redcurrant aromas, and fig and raisiny flavours and an
excellent
balance of bitterness and sweet. It
is
very much an excellent match with the Tres Pasas, but it is a match of
equals,
with neither really adding a great deal to the other.
Aged for 25 years.
This has a much
more complex nose than the ordinary Tres Pasos: not especially
diffeent, but
more complex and with greater depth.
Maybe there’s more more of a green herby note. Much more complex on the
palate: much more
deeply layered and fascinating. Real
vin
de meditation stuff. 92/100
Pérez
Barquero
Pérez
Barquero was established in 1905.
They have vineyards in the best area of the
Montilla-Moriles Denominacion, between the
This has salty caramel and almost a hint of anchovies on the nose. A luscious mouthfeel
– particularly so. But
it also has a nice freshness. 92/100
Aged in solera for over 25 years.
There’s a sort of faux rustic feel to the
bottle, which is rather dumpy
frosted black which bears only the Consejo’s label
– the actual label for the
wine is a loose neck label fastened with string sealed with the wax
capsule at
one end and a lead seal at the other.
The usual dark oak, engine oil appearance.
Somewhat disappointing on the nose – imagine
furniture polish mixed with caramel and some grapefruit peel candying
on the
stove next to you. Excellent
palate. Very rich
and heavy
mouthfeel Massive
length. But perhaps
not the most complex of these
PXs. 89/100
Aged in solera for an average of just six years.
This has a gorgeous complex nose of
torrefaction, coffee, dried fruits.
Possibly a bit more simple on the palate that the Alvear
2005. Luscious,
oily sweet nectar.
This was matched with Paul A Young’s Sea Salted Almond
Rocher: not a chocolate
which particularly fired my enthusiasm, but a super match. 89/100
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Last updated: 27 April 2009