Spain’s Finest Dessert Wine: An Inside Look at the Montilla-Moriles D.O. and an Outstanding Intelligent Buy—the Alvear Solera 1927

The Alvear Solera 1927 Montilla-Moriles is a Spanish dessert wine that you experience rather than just drink. This is so because it meets the four conditions necessary to be an outstanding intelligent value wine: 1) Incredible aromas and flavors 2) It has a story to tell 3) It comes from a very underrepresented region in Andalucía and 4)Did I mention that it is also an absurd bargain ($14.99)?

Did I personally go out and hunt for it back in mid-December? No, I cannot take any credit. The truth is that my significant other surprised me with a bottle of it; she really knows me because the Alvear Solera 1927 has to be he nicest wine gift I have ever received. Because of this, I would like to share my experience with you in hopes that you’ll take advantage of this incredible bargain, since people are raiding shelves for it.

Alvear—what’s in a name? Well, I suppose that names can mean precipitate differing images for different people, granted. For an Argentine or anyone who has visited Buenos Aires, in a nutshell, General Alvear is an elegant boulevard named for Marcelo Torcuato Alvear, who served one term (1922-1928) as President of Argentina. Going further back to the early part of the 18th century, members of the Alvear family of southern Córdoba in Andalucía held imperial administrative posts for the Spanish crown in Argentina. This leads us to the year 1729, when Diego de Alvear y Escalera returns permanently to his home in Córdoba to found the Alvear house, which consequently is the oldest producer of Montilla-Moriles D.O. wine in Spain. As a matter of fact, for the last two and a half centuries, wars of independence and civil wars on both sides of the Atlantic have not deterred the Alvear family in their renowned wine making pursuits, since today you can buy Alvear wines made in Mendoza’s Maipú area, as well as Montilla-Moriles from the original 1729 establishment in Spain. Very well, this wine has almost 300 year’s of a family’s experiences and know-how behind it, but heritage should be earned too, right? Alvear is one of the poster-children producers in the world that make wines wrought with the character and uniqueness of their land; perhaps most importantly, they refuse to rest on their illustrious laurels. There is a reason why Alvear has thrived for so long and it has much more to do with the way their Montilla-Moriles is made and how this affects your experience with it…Think Solera.

I just intercepted your thoughts: “Wait, the Solera method is the way Sherry is made.” Well, let me credit you with a point and say that you’re absolutely correct, but there’s just one small thing to keep in mind—Montilla-Moriles is not Sherry. Nevertheless, a very important element unites these two sweet Andalusian wines…Pedro Ximénez. This is the white grape variety that is cultivated and utilized for the production of various types of Sherries, though it only makes up a fraction of their compositions. In turn, all Montilla-Moriles D.O. wines like the Alvear Solera 1927 that I tasted must by law be produced entirely from the Pedro Ximénez grape. Though for the most part, this grape is considered to be a native variety to the south of Spain, others have claimed that the name is derived from a soldier of Carlos V’s (Holy Roman Emperor) regimens who brought it back from the Rhine while the Spanish were quelling uprisings in Flanders during the 16th century. At any rate, the crucial question to address now is how Pedro Ximénez and the Solera combine to conquer my palate.

Thanks to the prime location of Alvear in the descending portion of the Meseta, their Montilla-Moriles wines are made with the noblest Pedro Ximénez crop possible. Endowed with hillside vineyards of varying altitudes (990 ft-2.310 ft), hot, arid summers and chalky albariza soil, limited yields of Pedro Ximénez are harvested. The fruit from these limited yields boast naturally high sugar levels with a delicate hint of acidity. As you can imagine though, the decidedly sweet, silky balance in Montilla-Moriles is forged through Alvear’s methods too. Once harvested, the grapes are fermented and then placed into wooden casks stored in cool conditions. The key concept to understanding Soleras is blending. A series of at least three blending procedures takes place between wines from different styles of wooden casks and across a range of vintages. In this sequence of blendings called criaderas or “nurseries”, a fraction of the youngest vintage is mixed into the cask containing the previous vintage; in turn, a proportion of the third vintage into the fourth and so forth in order to develop richer complexity in the end product. Usually, the master blender considers each vintage’s distinguishing characteristics in determining the order and amount of movements that take place. The last step of the Solera process involves incorporating one third of the oldest cask’s wine into the overall blend before bottling—in the case of this Alvear Montilla-Moriles, the oldest addition is from 1927, though the amount in the overall blend is very small compared to some of the other wines involved, which tend to come from vintages of the last 12-15 years. In addition to this one, Alvear produces superb Montilla-Moriles wines which utilize 1830 and 1910 blends. They are also commercially available in limited quantities; do keep in mind that just because it is older, it doesn’t mean the wine is necessarily better. Just like with fine single-malt scotch, different blends represent different aromatic and flavor characteristics; in essence, this is the art of Solera blending, comparable in terms of flavors to what the impressionists wanted to achieve by layering different tones and hues until they arrived at a totality. Following is the tasting report for this work of art.

Tasting report: Alvear Solera 1927 Montilla-Moriles D.O.

This exceptional Montilla-Moriles exhibits a dark amber color with a certain glow. The consistency is slightly syrupy but not too thick. Just like a fine Tokaji Eszencia, though definitely less sugary, the concentrated fruit in Montilla-Moriles comes through, so serve according to tablespoon measurements in a glass; this wine is traditionally meant to be a dessert in itself, with the following observations that bear witness to the custom.

Aromatics include notes of sweet prune, vanilla, cocoa, raisin and that delicious, subtle smoky element in the caramel sauce that traditionally tops flan. With some aeration (keep in mind the blended vintages), deep mahogany, dark-chocolate and molasses notes surface. In terms of texture, an all-enveloping, complex sweetness, with a hint of light nutty notes reminiscent of a fine Amontillado Sherry in the front of palate. The smooth balance of this Montilla-Moriles is evident with the spectacular contrast of sweetness (fruit and molasses) and seamless flavor unity in the robust cocoa and raisin flavors—combinations which define and give character to the more substantial consistency. Consider that this consistency is owed to the fact that Montilla-Moriles isn't nearly as fortified as Sherry, leaving more room for natural sugars to manifest in all major aspects of how you perceive the wine. The finish is long, satisfying, not ceasing to show off the complexity of yes, Crème brulée—the light vanilla notes that contrast the concentrated cocoa-raisin notes remind me of the dessert’s custard. After I had a couple of spoonfuls, I tasted chocolate, spice and caramelized sugar for about forty minutes or so. This is the Cuban cigar of dessert wine, you can’t afford to let this outstanding value go.

Treat yourself, be different, don’t just settle for Sherry…try a Montilla-Moriles for yourself and experience Spain’s finest dessert wine which of course, is grossly underrepresented in the marketplace.

A small note concerning the price. Since it has recently made it to the tasting table of mainstream critics, acclaim brings with it a price increase ($25-$40). If you don’t find it in a fine wine store near you, don’t panic, Wine Library still has the Alvear Solera 1927 Montilla-Moriles for $14.99. ¡Salud!