1988 Toro Albala Don PX Gran Reserva Half Bottle 375ml, Montilla-Moriles Andalucia

Tasting old sweet PX from Toro Albalá is like a roller coaster ride, which started with the 1988 Don PX Gran Reserva, what for them is their more commercial range, a wine that at close to 30 years of age is still unbottled. They compared it with the 1981 (which I never tasted), because it was a warm year with an exceptional harvest. It has 16.4% alcohol, 340 grams of residual sugar and mixes notes of youth, raisins, figs and dates with other aromas of a long aging like tar, graphite, chocolate and licorice. It doesn't feel too sweet but compared with the other wines tasted next to it, it doesn't have the complexity or depth. They expect to produce 25,200 bottles and 36,000 half bottles of this.

91-93 points Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate

Toro Albalá is one of the great custodians of Pedro Ximénez, based in Aguilar de la Frontera in Montilla Moriles, Andalucía. Founded in 1922 by José María Toro Albalá, the bodega has become famous for an almost stubborn willingness to wait, ageing its finest vintage PX for decades before release. The Gran Reserva bottlings are extraordinary time capsules, and a 1988 arriving at the table today already carries nearly four decades of history with it.

Pedro Ximénez grapes are harvested at full ripeness and traditionally dried beneath the Andalucían sun, concentrating their sugars and flavours before pressing. The resulting wine begins life immensely rich, but prolonged ageing transforms that sweetness into something far more complex. Dried fruit, coffee, nuts, spice and bitter chocolate gradually take over, while the wine’s savoury edges keep all that intensity surprisingly composed. This is less a conventional dessert wine than something to sip slowly and investigate.

Almost opaque mahogany with an amber rim. Dates, raisins and dried figs tumble out first, followed by black treacle, burnt orange and prune. Espresso, walnut, dark chocolate and toffee emerge with air, joined by liquorice, cinnamon, tobacco and an intriguing balsamic note. The palate is immensely concentrated and viscous, with fig paste, molasses and raisin richness balanced by bitter chocolate, coffee and orange peel. Walnut and roasted coffee linger through an extraordinarily long, dark and complex finish.

Dark chocolate tart is an obvious match, while sticky date pudding, coffee semifreddo or a salty blue cheese can handle the intensity beautifully. Our pick, however, is good vanilla bean ice cream with a small pour of the PX over the top. Almost embarrassingly easy and absolutely magnificent.

Cellaring: Magnificent now and capable of holding for decades unopened. Once opened, refrigerate and enjoy over several months.