Bodegas Toro Albalá

Spain

Mar 11

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Bodegas Toro Albalá is one of the driving forces of D.O.P. Montilla-Moriles, the neighbouring region of the D.O.P. Jerez-Xérès-Sherry. Toro Albalá began here, in the heart of Southern Cordoba, in 1922 with small wine grower José María Toro Albalá. José had just restored the former electric power station of Aguilar de la Frontera, some 50 km from Córdoba. He purchased a small winery in a nearby village, and moved the entire operation to this newly restored facility, 14,000 m² in size. José knew this former electric power station, and its maze of subterranean tunnels, was perfect for the ageing and conservation of dry wines. Eléctrico is still in use today for some of their top finos. But from the beginning José’s goal was to have a space to house and grow stocks of aged wines, an idea considered a huge risk in that era.

Fortunately, his amazing foresight paid off. In the 1960s, José’s nephew, enologist Antonio Sánchez, joined the team, and strengthened the bodega’s crianza system. Antonio brought with him his extensive wine training in France, as well as his bloodline in the vineyards and winery, planted when he was merely six years old. Antonio rightly remains the iconic figure of the winery today (as does his omnipresent sunglasses), and this oenologist, alchemist, and inventor is the one responsible for directing the winery into its highly respected focus on the sweetest of wines, the unsurpassed Pedro Ximénez. Indeed, Toro Albalá was the first bodega to sell a sweet PX dessert wine, and continues to be seen as the foremost experts in vintage Pedro Ximénez. Their cellars contain more than 6,000 barrels, some of which house the oldest wines in Andalucía.

View the wines currently available at the LCBO.