Since I started my new job, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to try some really different and exciting wines at a very reasonable price. One of them is Martino Old Vine Pedro Ximenez 2011 from Mendoza, Argentina. Ok, while I didn’t fully love the wine as my headline implies, I am always intrigued by wines made from grape varieties and methods that are unusual.
Pedro Ximenez, or “PX”, is a white grape from southern Spain, typically made into sweet, rich, fortified wines and also used as a blending ingredient in sherry (but has now been pretty much replaced by Palomino). While this grape has the ability to produce incredibly seductive, concentrated dessert wines with a silky, syrupy texture, as a table grape it has been less successful. Table wines made from Pedro Ximenez are often dull, lacking in acidity and character. In Don Martino’s wine, this was definitely not the case!
Although the bottle reads “Pedro Ximenez” (the Spanish spelling), I was curious if this grape actually was the Pedro Gimenez or Pedro Jimenez, a declining but still important white grape in Argentina used to make every day wines for domestic consumption. Apparently it has no connection with the Pedro Ximenez variety from Spain. Chile also grows Pedro Gimenez, which they use in pisco, the local brandy. From what I could find out, this is indeed the Spanish variety of PX. Fincas Don Martino is a project that started in 2002 between famous agronomist Mauricio Parodi and Buenos Aires businessman Hugo Martino. The vineyard is located 3,850 feet above sea level, with vines planted in 1926. In addition to dry PX, they produce two Malbec wines as well as a small quantity of old vine Semillon. All are produced organically and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. The Old Vine PX is fermented and aged in stainless steel with 30% of the wine undergoing extensive lees stirring.
This is a wine that I found pleasurable and interesting to drink and that gave me something to think about. That is, after all – what I am looking for in wine!
Tasting Notes:
Light golden core with a slightly rubbery nose (somewhat excess sulfur?), but after a while in the glass I detected good citrus and floral aromas. Full bodied on the palate, it is floral and a bit spicy, notes of apricot, honey and bitter almonds. The wine disappears a bit quickly on the finish but still has a good, round mouth feel and has me going for another sip rather quickly.
Conclusion: While I didn’t love the nose on this, the palate was a lot more pleasurable with an interesting texture and layers of flavors that come alive with food.
Food Pairing: Zesty and spicy, this wine would go well with cheeses high in acid salads and fish dishes with citrus.
Rating: 3/5
Retail Price: $15
SOILFUL WINES 