Details

Bright, lifted nose of fresh walnut, bean, cola, liquorice and dark fudge. Very dry up front with a citric acidity, root and bark, poached pear, followed by delicate coffee notes and slightly sharper cooked apple. The palate is light and thin, finishing up on a dry, crisp, leafy note. Made from certified organic grapes which are hand-harvested in mid-September. The grapes are soft-pressed and left to ferment naturally on their wild yeasts. Aged in a 6 year solera system of 500L American oak barrels.

Vegetarian Friendly

ABV 16%

Great to drink now or pop into your cellar through 2025 for the next cold spell!

Simon Field MW reviews the wine:
There are many features which fascinate about Bodegas Robles, not least of which is the telling counterpoint between the reputation of the region and the wonderfully contemporary approach adopted by the winery, evidenced by all the way from the philosophy, which is soundly sustainable, to the packaging, playfully minimalist and thoroughly modern. So far so good, but where it gets even better, it seems to me, is in the fact that we are also offered the thoroughly modern face of the PX varietal, yet in a manner which does not for a moment lose sight of the very special terroir, a terroir where altitude and soil conspire to give a very special flavour to this corner of Andalucía. Having once been in Cordoba in April and witnessed the mercury creep up towards 40 degrees, I can vouch for this as an archetype of an ‘extreme’ continental climate. All the more impressive, then, that the wine is so natural and exuberant, a far cry from treacle toffee PX and also stylistically distant from the ‘traditional’ fortified Olorosos of Jerez. Jerez, nearer to the sea and the port of Cadiz, long ago took and maintained a commercial advantage which still persists, this in spite its own recent languors. Montilla has its work cut out, then, but with distinctive and excellent efforts such as this, greater recognition is surely on its way. The clue to the quality of this wine lies in its finish, floral rather than cloying, refined rather than muscular, everything, in other words which one least expects from a PX from Montilla. Well worth a try!

 

THE VINEYARD

DO Montilla-Moriles is a small DO found in the heart of Andalusia near the city of Cordoba. With vineyards inland and <600m above seal level it’s considered to have a semi-continental climate with long, warm summers and little rain. Pedro Ximenez rules supreme in its chalky, sandy limestone soils where it is used to make both dry and sweet wines aged in soleras under flor. As the PX ripens easily in this climate, reaching 15% without any issues, unlike its oxidised Jerez counterpart, the wines are not fortified and offer a much lighter, fruitier and less overpowering profile than their Andalusian neighbour.

Bodegas Robles is a 32-hectare family owned Bodega that has been producing sherry style Montillas since 1927. In 1999, under 3rd generation siblings Francisco and Pilar, they became certified organic and turned their attention to several agro-environmental projects to improve soil quality, help retain moisture and using crop cover to encourage new flora and insects to the vineyards. They pride themselves on sustainability, eschewing the use of excessive packaging