Silvert & Saibene Wines, LLP

About the Wine

 

Last year Fincas Don Martino experimented with an heirloom quality PX vineyard from the Altamira valley (flood irrigated, planted 1948). Their first two releases of white wine (Perdriel Semillon) have been nothing short of brilliant, and we're happy to say this PX "experiment" is showing real promise. Pedro Ximénez (also known as PX) is the name of a white grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry. Pedro Giménez (Pedro Jiménez) is a widely grown criolla variety in South America whose relationship to Pedro Ximénez is uncertain. "Pedro Giménez" is the most widely planted white grape in Argentina

 

Vintage: 2011

Varietal: Pedro Ximenez

Wine Type: White Wine

Origin: Argentina

Appellation: Altamira (Mendoza)

Elaboration: Extremely gentle pressing, stainless steel aging/fermentation, 30% of the wine saw extensive lees stirring.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Pale straw in color, 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.

A real nice balance between fruit and sweet. If you’re looking for a new white, try this wine and it may become your “new” go-to white wine.

 

Prizes and Points

 

88 Points, "An Intriguing Effort" - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

 

Interesting Historical Note

 

Legend has it that Pedro Ximénez originated in the Canary Islands before being taken to the Rhine. The grape then came to Jerez in the baggage of a soldier called Pedro Ximénez (or Pedro Siemens or Pedro Ximen), serving in the navy of Charles V (1500–1558) in the Spanish Netherlands. It seems unlikely that a grape that so likes warm weather would have done well so far north, and no current Rhine grape resembles PX, so the story is probably apocryphal.

 

An origin in the Canaries is possible, perhaps the most plausible explanation is that it is a Moorish grape that was 'rebranded' after the Reconquista.