Palo Cortado Centenario, Toro Albala

The Andalusian vineyards are divided into several appellations, including Montilla-Moriles, which certainly has the oldest vineyards in the region, as it was already prosperous in Roman times. The climate here is continental, very warm, with short winters and low rainfall. The harvest begins in mid-August and is the earliest in Spain. The king grape variety is Pedro Ximenez (PX), which is vinified into dry or sweet wines in oxidative modes, with long to very long maturation. Located in the village of Aguilar de la Frontera, 50 kilometres from Cordoba, the estate was founded in 1844 by Antonio Sánchez Prieto. In 1922, José Toro Albala, who had a passion for both wine and archaeology, restored and moved the winery to the old power station in Aguilar, with its large underground warehouses ideal for storing wine. For almost a century, the winery produced wine to be aged in its cellars, but without bottling it. Things changed at the end of the 20th century with the birth of the first vintages. For some years now, Antonio Sanchez Romero has been at the helm of the winery, creating unique jewels without losing sight of the essence of his estate, the Pedro Ximenez: an extraordinary grape variety. A true romantic character, he is also a great oenologist, with encyclopaedic knowledge and a lively and always inventive personality. His wines reflect this.