Álvaro Domecq Pedro Ximenez Viña 98

Álvaro Domecq Pedro Ximénez Viña 98 is a sweet Jerez sherry from Bodegas Álvaro Domecq, part of a range the founder dedicated to his cherished horses. It is made entirely from Pedro Ximénez grown on the albariza chalk of the Marco de Jerez. The sweetness is built in the vineyard. After harvest the grapes are laid out in the sun to raisin, a process that dehydrates the fruit and concentrates its sugars to extreme levels before the must is pressed and only partly fermented, then fortified. The wine then ages about five years in old sherry butts, where slow oxidative contact with air through the oak deepens its colour and develops dried-fruit, coffee and toffee complexity. The result is dark chestnut, almost black, and thickly viscous. The nose is dominated by raisin with subtle woody notes, and the palate is intensely sweet and unctuous, with date, dried fig, molasses and a long, lingering finish carried by enough acidity to keep it from cloying. Serve lightly cool at 12 to 14 degrees in a small glass, alone or over dessert.