Fondillón, 50cl 1996, Bodegas Monovar

This amazing wine tastes like a cross between a very mature Tawny Port and a top, aged Amontillado. It is transparent amber in appearance, with a complex, intense bouquet of toasted walnuts, maple syrup, liquorice root, fenugreek and black pepper. Utterly delicious, with just slight sweetness, offset by bright acidity, giving a sense of real freshness alongside its wonderful, mellow roundness. It has an appetising character like toasted almonds with smoked salt, alongside pleasant nuances of toffee, coffee, tobacco, carob bean, fig and crushed celery seed. Bodegas Monovar is a restoration of some of the oldest Fondillones in the world today. An example of minimal intervention at its best, bunches of the very best Monastrell are left to over-ripen on the vine, and are subsequently hand-picked, destemmed and left to ferment on indigenous yeasts until reaching a natural balance of sugar and alcohol. Maturation for 20 years in large casks made of Canadian oak allows the wine to evolve into something truly unique and unlike anything else on the planet. This comes in a 50cl bottle contained within a gift box. A glass stopper is provided so you can re-seal after pulling the cork, and enjoy at your leisure (drink within one month of opening).