Bodegas Bentomiz, PiXel 2021

This bright, dry Andalusian white brings together the textural complexities of Pedro Ximénez with the aromatic intensity of Moscatel de Alejandría. The resulting wine is bright and perfumed, with mouth-watering acidity and a saline minerality that captures the wine’s sense of place.

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Origin:

Malaga, Andalucía, Spain

Grape:

Pedro Ximenez, Moscatel de Alejandria

ABV:

13%

Picasso Trail

Picasso's birthplace

Producer Profile

Bodegas Bentomiz is a boutique winery in the Malaga hills but within sight of the Mediterranean sea. Our 80 to 100-year-old vines enjoy an ideal environment: they flourish in the slate soils, benefitting from a benign climate and cooling sea breezes. With a combination of modern and traditional vinification techniques we produce a range of fresh and delicate wines.

Grape

Pedro Ximénez (also known as PX and many other variations) is the name of a white Spanish wine grape variety grown in several Spanish wine regions but most notably in the denominación de origen (DO) of Montilla-Moriles. Where it is used to produce a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry. Muscat of Alexandria is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of Vitis vinifera. It is considered an "ancient vine", and wine experts believe it is one of the oldest genetically unmodified vines still in existence. The grape originated in North Africa, and the name is probably derived from its association with Ancient Egyptians who used the grape for wine making. It is also a table grape used for eating and raisins.

Region

A rugged landscape, steep vineyards, spectacular views – these form the geographic setting of Bodegas Bentomiz. Sheltered by the Sierra Tejeda mountains to the north, with the Mediterranean Sea to the south, nature provides the perfect conditions for winemaking – as well as for a relaxing afternoon with a glass of wine in your hand.

Viticulture

Our 80 to 100-year-old vines flourish in slate soils at heights of between 500m and 800m above sea level. There are just sufficient winter rains; we enjoy a precipitation of about 500 mm a year. In our long, dry summers, the heat is softened by sea breezes. The rugged landscape is not easy to work – mechanisation is not possible and hoeing and harvesting the steep slopes requires a truly heroic effort.

Vinification

Experimenting with a combination of modern and traditional vinification techniques has proved successful. To obtain the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity we sun-dry the grapes after picking, either by laying the bunches in the local ‘paseros’ (raisin-beds) or on floating racks, our own invention, which allow air to move over and under the fruit. When the racks are laid in our forecourt the bodega seems afloat in a sea of grapes!

Our wines are fermented in stainless-steel, temperature controlled tanks. We age some in oak barrels; others are aged ‘on the lees’ in stainless-steel tanks.