The Wine Advocate # 224 - 28th Apr 2016 - Luis Gutiérrez - 1931 Toro Albalá • Don PX Convento Selección - 98/100 - 2016-2040
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 Albalá in Aguilar de la Frontera - in the province of Cordoba, part of the Montilla Moriles appellation - did with their 1931 Don PX Convento Selección. 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. It's truly terrific! 9,650 bottles were filled in June 2015.