VITICULTURE&WINEMAKING

MONTILLA VINEYARD The Montilla Vineyard is one of the factors that makes Alvear singular. The Pago de Benavente and Pago de Riofrío are at the highest elevations in the area (2,000 ft.; 610 m) and their parcels have many different orientations. They are planted with head-trained old-vine Pedro Ximénez and short-pruned with a traditional technique called alaciega.Thisencourageslowcanopygrowthtoshadethegroundaroundthevine.

PEDRO XIMÉNEZ The calling-card of the estate, the Pedro Ximénez grape is used to produce Alvear’s wine. Styles range from dry still wines, finos, amontillados, olorosos and sweet wines. The grape has thin skins and high sugar content, permittingthevinificationofrichsweetwines,andfinosandamontilladoswithoutfortification.

AGING UNDER A VELO DE FLOR For their fino and amontillado wines, Alvear ages the wine under velo de flor, literally “veil of yeast.” This is a natural biological process whereby a cream-colored cap of yeast indigenous to the region develops onthetopofthewine.Alvear’s velo ismadeofnativeyeasts,S.Montuliensisandothers,alsoconsideredanintegralpartof theterroiroftheirwines.The velo isevenusedintheirdrywhitewinerange,3Miradas,toimpartlight,yeastyaromas.

To make sweet P.X. wines, the fruit is exposed to the sun after harvest. Grape clusters are spread over plaited grass mats and slowly sun-dried until they become raisins. A dense must is then taken from the crushed raisins, and the subsequent winemaking and aging processes give rise to the region’s much-loved sweet wines.

Howistheterroirreflectedinthe winesofAlvear?

ThewinesthatleaveAlvearalwaysevoketheidentity ofMontillathrough:

Pedro Ximénez:aromasofpear,apple,fennel,anise

Expression of albariza soil:salinity/savorinessand "mineral"freshness,andfiner,verticalwines

Expression of the velo de flor (yeast veil): strainsof nativeyeasts,S.Montuliensisandothers,whichare partoftheterroirandprovideverytypicalaromas, helpingtocreatethewinerystyle–elegantwines, withoutstrong,pungentaromas,alwaysstrivingfor freshness,moreaniseandcitrusaromasofthePX, andtypicalaromasoftheyeastveil.

ALVEARPORTFOLIO:

3 Miradas Range (Vino de Pueblo, Cerro Franco, Cerro Macho) P.X. de añada, Fino Capataz, Fino en Rama Carlos VII, Oloroso Asunción, Oloroso Catón, Palo Cortado Nº7, P.X. Solera 1927

3MiradasVinodePueblo

DO Montilla - Moriles

Varieties

100% Pedro Ximénez

Vinification

Fermented in concrete jars and rested up to 8 months with yeast veil

GoodtoKnow

Old-vine fruit from pagos Río Frío Alto and Benavente

SingularitiesoftheWinery

Alvear is the oldest winery in Andalusia, and the second-oldest still in operation in Spain. With almost 300 years of history, the winery has treasures such as a solera with an average age of 100 years. They were also the first to champion the versatility of the Pedro Ximénezgrape,stillahallmarkofthehouse.

WhyisAlvearaGrandesPagosde Españawinery?

As pioneers of both the Montilla region and the Pedro Ximénez grape, Alvear aims for all of their wines to carry the imprint of their terroir. This and their passion for innovation led them to join other wineries in the pursuit of single-estate quality in GPE.

P.X.deAñada

DO Montilla - Moriles

Varieties

100% Pedro Ximénez

Vinification

Sun-dried grapes pressed in traditional vertical press, fortified rested in concrete cones for at least a year

GoodtoKnow

Made with grapes from a single vintage

ALVEAR

Av. de María Auxiliadora, 1 14550 Montilla

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