1980 Toro Albala Don PX Seleccion 750ml, Montilla-Moriles Andalucia

17% ABV. The 1980 Don PX Selección is said to come from a warm and dry year that favored the raisining of the Pedro Ximénez grapes. This has lots of candied fruit and spice and combines the 17% alcohol with a whopping 340 grams of residual sugar. This aged in American oak butts until its bottling in September 2018. It surprised me with a complex and somewhat savory nose, reminiscent of bitter chocolate, licorice and roasted coffee, carob beans and black pepper. It's super concentrated, dense and pungent, with a savory component, meaning the sugar is not as noticeable as you might think. It came through as complex and layered, very complete and intense.

97 points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate  

From another remarkable vintage in the Toro Albalá cellars, the 1980 Don PX Selección shows just how gracefully these wines evolve over time. Made from sun dried Pedro Ximénez grapes and aged for decades in cask, this is a style rooted deeply in Andalusian tradition, where patience and oxidation transform sweetness into something layered and endlessly complex.

The aromatics are rich and enveloping, fig, raisin and prune woven through with notes of toffee, espresso, dark chocolate and burnt orange. There is a darker, more brooding edge here compared to younger releases, with hints of walnut and antique wood adding depth.

It flows thick and slow, intensely concentrated yet balanced. The sweetness is plush, but it never feels heavy, thanks to a subtle lift that keeps everything moving. Layers of caramel, coffee, spice and dried fruit unfold gradually, the finish stretching on with remarkable persistence.

This is the kind of wine that turns dessert into an experience. Blue cheese, flourless chocolate cake or roasted figs are all perfect, but it’s equally compelling poured over vanilla ice cream or simply enjoyed on its own at the end of the night.

Fully mature and in a beautiful place, it will hold for years once opened if stored carefully.