NV Reliquia Pedro Ximenez

Residual sugar 'between 300 and 350 g/l'. TA 10 g/l. Black, syrupy and slow and languid in the way it moves in the glass. It looks almost like molasses! Smells of black-fig syrup, Medjool dates, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Extra Vecchio. Despite the huge residual sugar levels, it tastes remarkably gentle. Figs dipped in warm, exquisitely high-quality 72% chocolate; fig jam and dried apricots; raisins in orange liqueur; Greek coffee; aniseed; coffee beans. Surprisingly fresh for such a decadently rich wine. There's a very subtle, cool note of pine needle that pins the finish. Unlike the other Reliquias, the PX doesn't declare war. It's more like an ancient Ent, timeless, gentle, ancient wisdom in every sip, taking a long slow time to say anything. (TC)

The NV Reliquia Pedro Ximenez is extremely old, and can be traced back to the creation of a solera in 1921 in the Bodega del Toro in the calle Sevilla in Sanlucar de Barrameda that originated from an already old PX at the end of the 19th century. Dark, opaque mahogany color. The nose is dominated by noble woods, balsamic and medicinal notes intermixed with dates and figs, and a layer of pungent spices like nutmeg and cloves. The palate reveals a full-throttle wine, which many would find excessive (well, it IS excessive), ample, it fills your mouth with very strong, bitter flavors and an intense finish. Drink 2013-2030. Barbadillo is, without a doubt, both the largest and the leading bodega of Sanlucar de Barrameda. Created in 1821 by Benigno Barbadillo, the company it’s still owned today by the seventh generation of the Barbadillo family, dozens of stockholders spread throughout Spain, although not necessarily involved in the operations. The business has also expanded, not only within the Sherry district, where they sell an impressive 12 million bottles of wine annually (a lot of it is the young and fruity Castillo de San Diego, which at one point was the biggest selling white wine in Spain), 40% of which are exported, but also in Ribera del Duero and Somontano. They employ 300 people and their wines are available in 39 different countries. In Sherry they own 500 hectares of vineyards, stock around 60% of the total production of Manzanilla which ages in 12,500 botas in their great cellars in Sanlucar, mainly in La Arboledilla winery, the tallest bodega in the Marco de Jerez, an impressive 16 meters high, and in a network of 16 other large and small bodegas in the Barrio Alto, the High Quarter of Sanlucar de Barrameda. They are constantly innovating and experimenting, be it with red or sparkling wines or within the Manzanilla world, as they were the first to bottle Manzanilla en rama (unfiltered) back in 1999, doing four sacas (bottlings) per year, one during each season, which they sell in half bottles with labels that clearly identify the saca and year. Other than that, their range is pretty exhaustive, from entry level wines, through VORS and an exclusive Reliquia range from the oldest, family-owned botas, some of them containing wines averaging 80 to 100 years old. As a curiosity, they probably stock more Palo Cortado than any other winery (on earth),120 casks, as the famous Toto Barbadillo had an obsession with that category and purchased all he could get his hands on. I had a great visit there with winemaker Montse Molina who arrived in Sanlucar from her native Cataluna 15 years ago and she has not looked back since. Tasting wines from the bota, listening to a knowledgeable winemaker and realizing how different and how complex the wines are is one of the pleasures one should experience at least once in a lifetime. Aug 2013, www.robertparker.com, 2013-2030