Toro Albalá should need little introduction as the world’s most significant producer of Pedro Ximénez. While its astonishing, old, vintage-dated Pedro Ximénez wines may have taken the limelight in recent years, there is a great deal to be said for this historic bodega’s exciting range of dry wines. Back in the 19th century, when Toro Albalá’s forefather Antonio Sánchez Prieto first started to produce and age wines in La Noria, his emphasis was primarily on dry wines. This tradition is kept bang up-to-date by Toro Albalá’s popular, zingy Fino from the Eléctrico solera, the stunning 35-year-old Amontillado and the silky, lustrous Oloroso. While all these are the same wines from the same historic soleras we have been shipping for a decade, Toro Albalá has recently overhauled its naming and labelling. Each wine in the core range now takes its prefix, Poley, from Marqués de Poley, where Poley (or Bulay) is the ancient Moorish name for Aguilar de la Frontera, the village that is home to the bodega. We also offer the 2002 vintage of the Bibendum favourite: Don PX Gran Reserva. This 20-year-old, barrel-aged wine is now simply labelled Don PX, without the Gran Reserva suffix. The current vintage is a terrific release for this wine, as the note below makes clear. Finally, there’s the new vintage of Toro Albalá’s youngest sweet Pedro Ximénez— also rather confusingly labelled Don PX (but not to be confused with the barrel-aged wine)! It’s a wonderfully pure and grapey example of young Pedro aged in tinaja, and the 2020 captures all the exuberant raisin and honey notes and tangy freshness of great young Pedro Ximénez. Whether dry or sweet, you’ll find excellence and value throughout the range from one of the most quality-driven and idiosyncratic Sherry producers in Andalucía.