1931 | Bodegas Toro Albala | Don Px Convento Seleccion

Detailed Description

These wines are often aged oxidatively and show developed characteristics of rich caramel, cream and a range of nutty aromas. Sweetness levels can vary.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: If someone told you they kept a wine for 84 years in barrel before bottling, you’d think they are nuts, right? Well, that’s what the folks at Toro Albal√° in Aguilar de la Frontera – in the province of Cordoba, part of the Montilla Moriles appellation – did with their 1931 Don PX Convento Selecci√≥n. This is part of what they call ‘vinos olvidados,’ which means ‘forgotten wines.’ The border is amber, with green tints that denote very old age. Such old age provides an array of unusual aromas and flavors, including iodine and salt that compensate the sweetness (403 grams) and even the alcohol (18%). It’s terribly balsamic, with notes of dry herbs and spices, cigar ash, carob beans (algarrobas), incense and noble woods. The palate is very, very sweet and concentrated, unctuous, dense, with a chewy texture. This goes beyond a glass of wine, a drop of it is like having a piece of cake. I don’t think this reaches the complexity and depth of the 1946, which remains the benchmark for these old sweet PX, but it’s truly terrific! 9,650 bottles were filled in June 2015.

• James Suckling: This is a crazy sweet wine with incredible aromas of toffee, brown sugar, maple syrup, and burnt orange. Black colored with green tint around the edge. Full body, with an incredible viscous and dense texture. So very sweet with dried raisins, sultanas and toffee. Unique experience.

Producer Information

Bodegas Toro Albal√° is a wine producer in the Montilla-Moriles region of Andalucia, southern Spain. It was established in 1922 by Jose Mar√≠a Toro Albal√°, but its roots date back to an estate that was founded in 1844 by Albal√°’s grandfather, Antonio S√°nchez Prieto. It was the first producer to commercialize Pedro Xim√©nez as a single variety wine, and now makes a range of high-end wines from the variety. The original bodega and vineyard was situated on slopes near Castillo de Poley, a castle outside of Aguilar de la Frontera. There is rumored to be a remaining cask of the 1844 vintage from this vineyard still cellared today. In 1922, Jose Mar√≠a Toro Albal√° relocated the winery into what had been the first power plant in the Montilla-Moriles region. Jose Mar√≠a established the Bodegas Toro Albal√° name, and focused the winery on the Pedro Xim√©nez grape that the Montilla-Moriles region is now known for. The power plant continues to thematically inspire labeling with Albal√° offering a dry fino from Pedro Xim√©nez that is sometimes sold in bottles that look like lightbulbs.