Amontillado 1951 Toro Albalá

Toro Albalá is an icon within the Montilla-Moriles D.O.  It has been designated one of the 100 “Golden Wineries” of the 21^st century and one of its wines once obtained the heavenly blessing of 100 Parker points.  This ancient winery was founded in 1844 in the town of Aguilar de la Frontera. Since 1922 its more than 6,000 barrels have been housed in a former power station. Some of these contain wines which are over 100 years old.  They only plant Pedro Ximenez in their vineyards and buy in the rest from local growers.  They also boast a beautiful museum that contains what must surely be the finest viticulture and oenology library in Spain, with nearly 5,000 books in English, French and Spanish.

The Toro Albalá Amontillado 1951 does credit to the saying that Amontillado is the king of fortified wines. It has a dark amber hue and the combination of aromas that unfold on the nose defies belief.  This is perhaps why the good people of Jerez used to dab a few drops of old amontillado onto their handkerchiefs as a perfume.  It shows the character of the flor tamed by age, with spicy, balsamic and citrus peel overtones, against a backdrop of toasted hazelnuts, creating a complex and harmonious wine.  On the palate, the wine is dry and extremely concentrated, with an explosion of flavours at the back of the palate, replaying the aromas found on the nose.  The finish just goes on and on and on.  It is one of those rare wines that will have you trembling with emotion and make your hair stand on end.