Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Pedro Ximenez is an intriguing effort. The grape is best known for its role in the production of dessert style Sherry in Spain but is rarely made into dry table wine because of its supposed lack of character. Pale straw in color, it exhibits a pleasing perfume of melon, jasmine, and a hint of mineral. Medium-bodied and round on the palate, it has plenty of fruit and just enough acidity for balance. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.
The grape with the coolest name and some of the greatest fame in the wine-growing world, Pedro Ximénez is responsible for a handful of radically different wine styles. A white variety grown in Andalucia, Spain, it is primarily used in the production of sweet, late harvest Sherry as well as for crisp, dry whites. Somm Secret—It is also grown in New South Wales, Australia to produce the rich and golden McWilliam’s Pedro Sauterne and in Chile for Pisco production as well as a lovely varietal dry white from the Elqui Valley.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.