Fondillón 1996

Fondillón is one of Spain's rarest historic wines, a fortified red from D.O. Alicante made by Bodegas Monóvar from late-harvested Monastrell. Unlike Sherry or Port, it relies on naturally overripe grapes left on the vine to raisin, concentrating sugar and flavour before fermentation. The wine is then aged for many years in a solera system, where old casks of layered vintages rest in the cellar. This long oxidative ageing is what shapes Fondillón. Slow, deliberate contact with air over decades converts the wine into a deep, nutty, dried-fruit style, building the caramel and walnut character that defines it, while the solera blends across vintages for consistency. At 18 percent alcohol it is warming and full. The colour is deep mahogany with amber edges. The nose offers caramel, dried fig, raisin, toffee and walnut with hints of dark chocolate and prune. The palate is rich and broad, with a balance of fruit sweetness and savoury, oxidative complexity through a very long finish. Serve at 14 to 16 degrees in a small glass. It is a wine for the end of a meal.