1973 Toro Albala Toro Albala Don PX Seleccion, Montilla-Moriles Andalucia

17% ABV. The 1973 Don PX Selección is part of a new range of more accessible old wines, not as extreme as the Convento or Convento Selección ranges of extremely old wines. This is slightly lighter in the palate with a little less sugar, some 320 grams per liter. The vineyards that produced these grapes do not exist today; they were on very soft marls soils. The dehydrated grapes fermented between 3% and 9% and then the wine was fortified and today bottled at 17%. It's somehow reminiscent of the 1987, very perfumed and aromatic, a little exotic, with even some minty notes. There are 16,000 liters of this wine, which is available in bottles and magnums. The palate is very concentrated, round, with an oily texture that fills your mouth. This is more elegant, but at the same time it's not as fresh as the 1987. The price is for one 75-centiliter bottle.

95 points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate 

From deep in the Toro Albalá cellars, the 1973 Don PX Selección is a glimpse into how far this style can go. Made from Pedro Ximénez grapes dried under the Andalusian sun and then aged for decades in cask, it becomes something far beyond sweet wine, more like a concentrated, evolving archive of time and place. Toro Albalá has been perfecting this approach since 1922, and bottles like this show why they are considered masters of it.

The aromatics are extraordinary, layers of raisin, fig and date, wrapped in molasses, espresso, dark chocolate and burnt orange peel. There’s an added dimension of age here, walnut, antique wood, old leather and a faint rancio note that gives it real depth and intrigue.

It unfolds slowly, thick and luxurious, but never static. The sweetness is immense yet balanced by a subtle bitterness and lift that keeps it alive. Flavours of toffee, coffee, spice and dried fruit move in waves, the finish stretching out with almost endless persistence.

This is less about pairing and more about the moment, but it shines with blue cheese, a dense chocolate dessert or simply poured over vanilla ice cream. Even a handful of roasted nuts alongside it feels like enough.

Fully mature and holding beautifully, it will continue to drink for many years if stored well after opening.