My Personal Recommendation For You

Alvear Pedro Ximenez de Anada 2011    Andalucia; Spain     Our bttl price $29.99     (Case $27.99)

Limited Availability /A perfect 100pts scoring by Robert Parker!

“Alvear’s 2011 Pedro Ximenez de Anada is the most amazing Pedro Ximenez I have ever tasted.” – Robert Parker (November 2013).

Whenever a renowned wine critic such as Robert Parker samples and reviews a dessert-styled wine – and gives it a perfect score – it’s worth noting!

Be forewarned, this decadent Spanish dessert wine is “dangerous” simply because you won't be able to stop “eating” it. In the European countries like Spain, Italy and France, it is considered as a digestif, a drink taken after a meal to aid the digestion process. It can be best paired with desserts – or on its own as ‘the dessert’!

When we think of Spanish wine, the heavy-hitters Tempranillo, Garnacha and Albariño often come to mind. But what of the Pedro Ximenez (“PEHD-roh hee-MEH-nehth”) white varietal best known for its role in the sweet wines of southern Spain, coined as “PX”. The Pedro Ximénez grape variety is not only the star of the Andalucia region, but also of the wines and vineyards owned by Bodegas Alvear. Legend has it that it was brought from the Rhine by a solider serving in the Spanish army in Flanders, who consequently gave it his name. Rich PX wines unorthodoxly improve in an opened bottle – unlike most wines which are fragile little things that need to be drunk within days, sometimes hours, of being exposed to air – though an uncorked bottle of this PX will not last!

These thin-skinned grapes are raisinated as they’re laid on Esparto-grass mats out in the sun for a few days prior to pressing. The result, a dark amber, thick and sweet nectar! The aromas and flavors include a “raisin” element as a descriptor but can stretch to all sorts of interesting things – especially when the wine has been aged for a long time – including dark chocolate, caramel, smoke, figs, etc., those same flavors to pair with found in traditional European desserts!

Robert Parker’s full review:

“Alvear’s 2011 Pedro Ximenez de Anada is the most amazing Pedro Ximenez I have ever tasted. It may also be one of the first to be vintage-dated. The grapes

were hand-harvested in September, then allowed to dry in the sunshine until they began fermentation, which is ultimately arrested by the addition of spirits. The wine spent six months in large American oak prior to being bottled. It is an amazing effort that looks like molasses. Notes of macerated figs, chocolate and caramelized tropical fruits emerge from this full-bodied, unctuously-textured wine. While sweet, it has enough acidity to balance out its richness. This astonishing 2011 Pedro Ximenez will last as long as any reader of this newsletter.”

– 100 pts. (November 2013).

Winemaker’s tasting notes:

“Brilliant clear amber. The nose is clean, light and superbly stylish, it is a pure raisin wine that combines a full aroma with a pleasant fruitiness. The palate is rich in dried fruit nuances and toasty hints of skins, with fresh overtones, rosemary honey.” – Bernardo Lucena