Fernando de Castilla Antique PX

Antique PX comes from Rey Fernando de Castilla in Jerez de la Frontera, a house founded in 1927. It is made from Pedro Ximenez grapes that are pressed and left to ferment before the wine is fortified to fifteen percent, halting fermentation and holding the natural sweetness in place. It then ages through the traditional solera method for around thirty years, the fractional blending system of Jerez where younger wine is run into older casks across a stack so that each bottling carries a portion of very aged wine. Three decades of oxidative ageing in oak concentrate the wine as water passes through the wood, darkening it to deep mahogany and building roasted, savoury depth over the dried fruit. The colour is deep mahogany, clean and bright in the glass. The nose is medium to high in intensity, with raisin, fig and date over molasses and a roasted, coffee-like edge. The palate is sweet and viscous with a velvety, silky mouthfeel that recalls sun-dried fruit, the sugar carried by the wine's age into a long, harmonious finish. Serve cool in a small glass after dinner, with dark chocolate, dried fruit or a strong blue cheese.