Spain — wine

Montilla-Moriles

The spiritual home of Pedro Ximenez, the luscious raisin grape used to make Spain's richest dessert wines. Located south of Cordoba in Andalusia, Montilla-Moriles produces bone-dry Fino and Amontillado-style unfortified wines (legally classified as wine, not fortified) alongside gloriously sweet PX. Often called the overlooked cousin of Jerez, the region's albariza-chalk soils and extreme heat produce naturally high-sugar PX grapes.

Year Rating Notes
2023 Hot, dry Andalusian summer; typical high sugar accumulation in PX grapes; strong vintage
2022 Excellent growing season; PX achieved exceptional concentration and natural sweetness
2021 Reliable vintage; fine dry Fino-style wines and well-concentrated PX
2020 Warm, even-ripening season producing PX of exceptional density and fig-like concentration
2019 Outstanding year; richest, most complex PX in recent memory from the region's albariza soils