Ximénez-Spínola, 2024 Delicado Cosecha (500mL), Jerez

$330.60/ 6-bottle case

Appearance: Clean bright almost pure amber with brassy golden highlights and some visible viscosity. Nose: Bursting with aromas of sun-dried PX though lighter than the normal version as the grapes, while very ripe, are not so intensely sun-dried and there are few if any fig and date aromas making it very grapey with hints of overripe apple, peach and apricot and gently tangy with traces of esparto and some grape skin texture. It smells fantastic and is virtually unique. Palate: Sweet, yes, but nowhere near as sweet as normal PX and much lighter too, both in wight and alcohol. The acidity level is perfect to carry through the flavour, mitigate the sweetness and give a real freshness to the wine. The aforementioned dried fruit flavours give off some of their texture creating a gentle chewiness and there is the faintest honeyed note yet the wine is clean, fresh complex and uncloying with great length, and quite possibly a long life ahead in the bottle. Delicious.

About the producer

There are not many wineries that can claim to plant only one varietal, let alone one that could easily be seen as being out of fashion, but that is precisely what Bodegas Ximénez-Spínola have done since 1729. Working solely with Pedro Ximénez to produce a selection of still wine, dessert wine, sherry and vinegar. Doing so, for so long, has made them masters of their trade and the wines they produce are simply magnificent.s