2004 Toro Albala Don PX Half Bottle 375ml, Andalucia

The 2004 Don PX sweet Pedro Ximénez has a deep color, very dark, almost opaque and pours dense and thick, with an oily texture that can be noticed later on the palate and gives it a velvety mouthfeel. It's a single-harvest wine that spent almost 20 years in cask and ages faster than the dynamic blends in soleras. There is a distinct perfumed note, almost floral (jasmine, orange blossom), a little Moscatel-like that makes it very attractive and that I found in most of the PXs this year, which made them stand apart when tasting them with PXs from producers in Jerez. This one has flavors of raisins and dates, sweet cinnamon and other spices, noble woods and dark chocolate, sweet and intoxicating, with 17% alcohol and 375 grams of sugar. It finished with a note of violet pastille. Beautiful. 12,500 full bottles and 18,000 half bottles produced. The price is for a full bottle. It was bottled in January 2024.

94 points Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate

Toro Albalá is one of the great specialists of Pedro Ximénez, based in Aguilar de la Frontera in Montilla Moriles, Andalucía. The winery was founded in 1922 by José María Toro Albalá and has become famous for long ageing its intensely concentrated sweet wines, often releasing individual vintages many years after harvest. Don PX is the heart of the house, a remarkable expression of just how complex Pedro Ximénez can become with time.

The grapes are harvested ripe and then traditionally laid out under the fierce Andalucían sun to raisin, concentrating both sugar and flavour before pressing. The resulting wine is unctuous and deeply sweet, but the best examples have enough freshness and savoury complexity to prevent them becoming simply heavy. With two decades of development behind it, the 2004 has moved well beyond primary fruit into a dark, wonderfully decadent world of dried fruit, coffee and spice.

Almost opaque mahogany brown, with an extraordinary nose of raisins, dried figs and dates, followed by molasses, burnt orange and prune. Espresso, dark chocolate, walnut and treacle emerge with air, alongside liquorice, cinnamon and a little polished wood. The palate is enormously concentrated and velvety, coating the mouth with fig, raisin and black treacle before bitter chocolate, coffee and orange peel provide welcome contrast. The finish seems to hang around forever, dark, sweet, nutty and savoury.

Vanilla ice cream may sound ridiculously simple, but pour a little Don PX over the top and all arguments cease. It is equally good with dark chocolate tart, sticky date pudding, blue cheese or an espresso soaked tiramisu. Our pick is the vanilla ice cream. Two ingredients, virtually no effort, magnificent result.

Cellaring: Fully mature and glorious now, but capable of holding for decades unopened. Once opened, refrigerate and enjoy over several months.