Toro Albalá
Poley Palo Cortado en Rama Solera 25 Year
Region: Spain - Andulucia
Toro Albalá
Founded in 1844, this prestigious family estate is located in Aguilar de la Frontera in the P.O.D Montilla-Moriles zone. Antonio Sánchez, the third generation of the family, owns the estate today.
One of the largest Andalusian viticulture zones, the region is known for the production of Fino and the cultivation of Pedro Ximénez grape. There is a considerable presence of albariza soils.
In 1922, José María Toro Albalá moved to the current location in Aguilar’s old power station, introducing updated technologies and establishing Toro Albalá as a leader in Montilla. Toro Albalá became the first Montilla producer to bottle Dessert Pedro Ximénez in 1970, a product historically sold in bulk to producers and shippers in D.O. Jerez-Xérès-Sherry for aging and blending.
Toro Albalá is recognized as one of the greatest producers of Vintage Don PX, the wines spend at least 20 years in barrel before release.
The Wine
Vineyard Profile
Estate vineyards in D.O. Montilla-Moriles.
- Soils: Chalky white Albariza
- Climate: Hot, dry summers
Harvest Notes
- Hand harvested
- Special fino butts that take a unique path from others
- Veil of flor weakens very early in these American oak butts
- Oxidative aging begins and proceeds for at least 25 years
Winemaker's Notes
A wine with a special and unique character. Amber with copper and greenish reflections. Very intense aromas of tobacco leaves, wood, pepper and clove, with notes of citrus peel and fine pastries. Walnut and hazelnut nuances. Mouth-filling, well defined acidity that evolves towards salinity. Intense and elegant.
Wine Summary
100% Pedro Ximénez; alcohol: 20%; estate vineyards in D.O. Montilla-Moriles; special American oak fino butts that lose veil of flor quite early for a short biological aging; oxidative aging begins and continues for at least 25 years.
Technical Information
- 100% Pedro Ximénez
- Alcohol: 20%
Reviews
93 Points
Names have changed and all labels are new; they are all named Poley and have a reference to the number of average years the wines have spent in the solera, like the NV Poley Palo Cortado en Rama Solera 25 Años a Palo Cortado, which has 20% alcohol and 25 years of average age. It’s nutty, spirity and peachy, with a touch of varnish and a sleek palate, pungent and moderately bitter, very pleasant to drink. All Poley wines now come in 500-milliliter bottles. There’s no clear indication of saca or bottling date. 2022 – 2028
© Wine Advocate, September, 2022
94 Points
This Montilla Palo Cortado has a lovely nose showing hazelnuts, orange rind and caramel with some terra cotta. This is intense and really flavorful, with caramel notes that mingle with cedar. Well-delineated freshness makes it very harmonious. This has a long, penetrating finish. It comes from a solera with an average age of 25 years.
jamessuckling.com, August, 2024
93 Points
The April 2024 bottling of the NV Poley Palo Cortado en Rama Solera 25 Años, which now carries the bottling date printed on the back label to be able to tell it apart from other bottlings, displays a bright orange color and a nose that reminds me more of an Oloroso with finesse than a biological wine, but apparently, it comes from old Fino aged in a warmish cellar that favors oxidative aging. It comes in half-liter bottles. It has a powerful palate, concentrated, with some rusticity, 20.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.3 coupled with 7.9 grams of acidity and a bone-dry finish. 8,500 bottles were filled in April 2024. 2024 – 2034
Toro Albalá is a specialist in old, sweet PX in Montilla-Moriles, but it also has a complete range of other styles.
© Wine Advocate, October, 2024
General Info
| COUNTRY | SPAIN |
| REGION | ANDULUCIA |
| APPELLATION | D.O. Montilla-Moriles |
| PROPRIETORS | Antonio Sanchez Romero |
| FOUNDED | 1844 |
| WINEMAKER | Francisco Capote |
| ANNUAL PRODUCTION | 8,333 9L cases sweet wine; 16,666 9L cases dry wine |
| FARMING (SUSTAINABLE, ORGANIC, BIODYNAMIC) | No chemicals are used, all vineyards are dry farmed. |