Jorge Ordóñez & Co. N_x001A_3 Old Vines 2023 (375ml) *
Product price
Description
Sweet wines from Andalucía trade on sun-dried concentration, and this late-harvest Moscatel de Alejandría from Jorge Ordóñez & Co. leans fully into that tradition. The 2023 draws on old vines planted early in the last century, at El Panderón and Monte Faco, on slate soils at altitude. The grapes are dried at the winery to concentrate their sugars, then fermented and aged in a single French oak barrel, a vessel that lends color and structure without tipping the wine toward oxidation.
Expect a golden pour and a deeply layered nose of dried apricot and peach, honey, quince, caramelized orange peel and raisin, with fennel and aromatic herbs adding lift and a faint whiff of petrol-like complexity. It is intensely sweet, packed with sugar, yet the acidity runs straight through the middle and keeps everything bright, closing on date and a creamy, persistent finish. Powerful and lush but never heavy, it still tastes youthful and primary, and it has the balance to grow more nuanced with time in the cellar.
Expert Reviews
The 2023 Moscatel N3 Old Vines comes from El Panderón and Monte Faco. This was planted in 1902 and 1908 and the grapes fermented in a single barrel. A late-harvest wine, it offers dried apricot, dried peach, honey, quince, fennel and raisin on the nose, with a touch of volatility and hydrocarbons. Sweet yet fresh, with date notes on the finish, its acidity offsets the sweetness, delivering purity and drive. (Vinous)
Monte Faco and El Panderon are the two vineyards that go into the 2023 Vinas Viejas #3, all Moscatel de Alejandria, planted between 1902 and 1908. The grapes are dried at the winery in a cool room, then precisely selected, pressed, and transferred to one 500-liter French oak barrel for fermenting and aging. The barrel impact adds color but not oxidation, resulting in a finely tuned, richly layered expression of apricot and vanilla cookie that ends up at 11% ABV and 350 g/L, tasting full-bodied yet ethereal. The acidity speaks to plenty of aging potential, too. (Jeb Dunnuck, July 2025)
The 2023 Old Vines #3 fermented and matured in 500-liter barrels for 20 to 25 months. The grapes also have further dehydration and concentration than numbers 1 and 2, with yields below 25%, and the wine is sweeter and more intense. It was sourced from old vines on slate soils at 700 meters in altitude with a northern exposure. It has 11% alcohol, a pH of 3.15, 7.5 grams of acidity and 250 grams of sugar, with a golden color and a much more complex and nuanced nose with toasted notes, caramelized orange peel, balsamic tones and aromatic herbs. The concentrated and powerful palate is round and lush, very persistent and with a creamy touch in the finish. The wine should gain some more complexity with time in bottle, as it still feels pretty primary. 1,200 half bottles were filled in March 2025. (Wine Advocate, October 2025)