Vintage Madeiras (Frasqueira) and Soleras
Upon repeated request I finally decided to award scores to the tasted Madeira vintage and solera wines. The ratings are based on the widely popular 100-point-system, starting with 50 (I do admit I will never be able to understand the logic in this...). This is also the place to add one word of caution: I consider myself an amateur in the true sense of the word and I am certainly no professional wine critic. It is true that I drink a lot of Madeira wine, some of it mediocre, some of it outstanding and most of it simply much fun to drink. But my tasting notes and the awarded scores are just my own personal opinion and thats it, with no warranties implied whatsoever. I do fall for acidity, especially a little volatile acidity, sweetness and complexity. Your taste might differ a lot from mine, so please do not be dissapointed if you don't like a wine that I found to be excellent.
1982
Boal Vintage, Vinhos Barbeito
Medium dark tawny with amber rim, subdued nutty nose, but then the palate is more focused with lots of acidity, quite sweet, again lots of walnut and almonds. Not really impressive but nevertheless a good and typical Boal. The wine had been in cask for only 21 years until 2001 and had been transferred to demijohns because the sweetness rose to levels that would have made it impossible to bottle this wine as a Boal. 91 points in 3/2008.
1981
Verdelho Vintage, Vinhos Barbeito
This wine had been in cask until 2005 for a total of only 24 years. The color is medium tawny, the nose features dried fruits, toffee, not really impressive and no detectable VA, but then the palate shifts to a higher gear, with little sweetness but fierce acidity, lots of fruit, and a long bitter walnut finish. A very complex wine and if I didn’t know that it only had spent 24 years in cask I would have guessed for 40 to 50 years in cask. Very impressive. 95 points in 3/2008.
A well-known Verdelho to me, this 1981 wine, that spent 24 years in cask until 2005. The color is a medium bright tawny with a hint of red. The nose has dried fruits, a hint of cinnamon, some raisins, more complex then I remembered. The palate is quite powerful with lots of fierce acidity, only little sweetness in the background, leading to an almost dry overall impression, nice citric fruit here with only little caramel, but complex and nutty. The powerful acidity carries through to the walnut finish. A good and very powerful wine! 93 points 10/2009.
1980
Artur de Barros e Sousa Lda. Boal
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, no crusting.
Color:
Pale bright iodine.
Nose:
Vinous, caramell, harmonious.
Palate:
Medium sweetness, nice caramell with toffee, some fruity ginger cake, medium finish.
Footnote:
94 points in 10/2003.
1978
Boal Vintage, Vinhos Barbeito
One of the most impressive of the tasted Madeira vintage wines. The wine had just been bottled after 29 years in cask, with medium dark tawny, rich nose of almonds and a little toffee and some VA as well. The palate is sweet with lots of acidity, toffee, crème brulee, the acidity carries the wine through to a long almond finish that ends slightly bitter to make you long for the next sip. This is a very good wine and already is very impressive for its young age. 95 points in 3/2008.
1977
Blandy’s Boal
After 30 years in cask, this Boal has been bottled in 2007. Even though quite young, the color is a rich and warm iodine brown. In the nose there is a little amount of volatile acidity, then figs and honey, a little caramel. On the palate the sweetness is forthcoming with just the right amount of sugar (80 gr/l), lots of acidity, a little sharp at the beginning, but the bottle had been opened just an hour ago, then lots and lots of sweet toffee, with still enough acidity in the background, and a long creamy toffee finish. This is a very good Madeira, a typical Boal, impressive already, it will benefit from more time in cask. 94(95) points in 3/2009.
H. M. Borges Sercial
This rather young vintage Madeira displays a bright iodine brown, almost tawny color. The nose is fresh and nutty, with a slight hint of oak and a splash of volatile acidity adding to the overall impression of lightness. On the palate this Sercial is rather sweet, so this is a pleasant surprise for all those who usually do not like Sercial. A nutty foundation with powerful acidity carries caramel, a little toffee and lots of walnuts to the long finish. An impressive wine and a Sercial that is pleasant to drink without having to wait a couple of decades. 93 points 10/2009.
1976
Blandys Terrantez
This Terrantez vintage Madeira was the best wine of the tasting for me. Later one of my Madeira wine comrades told me, that this wine is one of his favorites and that he has been buying it for years. I had never had this wine before, but after tasting it , I can easily see why. The color is a dark mahogany. In the nose there is a kaleidoscope of aromas, lots of volatile acidity, a little musk, dark and roasted aromas, then a touch of something wild, funky, leathery, waxy, hard to describe, but pleasant and very well fitting into the overall impression, and finally a lot of dried fruits. So much fun before even the first sip, wow. And then with the first sip the wine keeps its promise: nutty sweetness, powerful acidity, a layer of bitter walnut, lots of caramel, raisins, molasses, that wild, funky, leathery thing in the background again and then a long bitter walnut finish. What a great wine, hard to believe it only had 21 years in cask. I just hope they will give it more time, since this is going to become a classic Terrantez vintage Madeira. 94 points 10/2009.
1966
Blandy’s Sercial
Bottled in 2004 the wine has been in cask for 38 years. The color is a dark tawny, the nose is all nuts at first, then a little fruity as well. The first impression on the palate is a real acid punch, but then the acidity becomes a kaleidoscope of fruity aromas, the wine changes to a softer layer of nuts and licorice –is this really a Sercial?- even a little toffee and a long almond finish, still carried through by the acidity. A well done combination of the two sometimes rather different styles of Sercial: acidity and nuts. Very interesting, even for those who usually do not really like Sercial. 94 points in 3/2009.
1963
Leacock Sercial
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make.
Color:
Pale tawny with yellow-greenish rim.
Nose:
Very strong notes of lemon, a little spirity.
Palate:
Very concentrated, very fruity, lots of acidity, lemon and more lemon, almost with a sweet impression because of all the fruity aromas, long dry finish with a slightly bitter lemon note. This wine is powerful and will probably age very well. Mouthcleansing!
Footnote:
95 points in 10/2003.
1957
D'Oliveira Old Wine Sweet
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting.
Color:
Rather dark brown with iodine rim.
Nose:
Some volatile acidity, molasses, burnt coffee, sweetness.
Palate:
A little spirity ar first, then some fruity sweetness with the typical burnt taste, coffee, ashes, roasted nuts, good backing acidity, very balanced with the sweet finish. After 48 hours nicely rounded and harmonious, less coffee and molasses now, fruity sweetness.
Footnote:
94 points in 6/2001, 21% volume of alcohol.
1955
Manuel Eugenio Fernandes Lda., Verdelho
This was a bottle without any IVM or IVBAM seal, the bottling company was not mentioned. The color was brilliant iodine with tawny rim. The bottle had also been opened just the night before, so the nose was again very subdued, with little toffee and small amounts of VA. After three hours the wine had also opened up, but not as much as the first wine. So a fair judgement of this wine was not really possible, since I am sure that the wine needed more breathing time. The palate was spirity with only little fruit and a bitter finish, in general very much alike the first wine, but lighter in style. I will have to come back to this wine at a later time.
93 points in 6/2008.
1936
H. M. Borges Boal
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, very short driven cork with wax cover, very moist and in excellent condition with a handwritten 1936 on it - strange. No crusting.
Color:
Rather pale iodine (for a Boal) with orange rim. Little sediment.
Nose:
Strong nose with a little acetone at first, then fruity treacle and ginger cake.
Palate:
Quite strong impression of burnt aromas, then some apricot marmelade with good sweetness and corresponding acidity. Some coffee-like toffee-ish aromas follow and end with an ashy, slightly bitter but very aromatic finish of medium length. Directly compared to the Amaro wine of the same year, this Boal offers much more complexity.
Footnote:
94 points in 12/2006.
1936
Antonio Amaro "Primera" full rich
Bottle:
Deeply punted bottle of industrial make, long driven cork with lead foil cover, very moist and in excellent condition. No crusting.
Color:
Medium-dark iodine color with greenish-orange rim. Little sediment.
Nose:
Harmonious but rather volatile nose with only little apricot and orange.
Palate:
Harmonious with medium sweetness and some acidity, well counterbalanced. Directly compared to the Borges Boal of the same year however, this wine is lacking some depth. Coffee goes first, then some ashes with a rather pungent and bitter aftertaste that doesn't last for long.
Footnote:
92 points in 12/2006. As explained in the chapter about "Types of Wine", the wines of Antonio Amaro were spanish fakes, but this one tasted very well like a Madeira wine of medium quality.
1935
H. M. Borges Boal
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, very short stopper cork with wax cover, light crusting.
Color:
Medium dark iodine with orange rim. Little sediment.
Nose:
Ginger cake, molasses, honey, very rounded and harmonious, very intense for such a rather young wine, filling the whole room within minutes.
Palate:
Good sweetness to start with, then ginger cake, molasses and good corresponding acidity, all quite powerful and impressive. After two hours of breathing the wine became much more rounded, soft, harmonious. Very long finish with interesting molasses and balsamico notes.
Footnote:
95 points in 6/2005.
1930
Adega Exportadora de Vinhos da Madeira Lda. Genuine Rich
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting, short and crumbly cork under lead foil.
Color:
Orange-red with iodine rim, a strange color.
Nose:
A little volatile acidity at first, then caramel, burnt sweetness, a lot of ripe fruit, especially mirabelle, all rather short.
Palate:
Lots of alcohol (22% volume), a little spirity at first, after a few minutes beginning to soften, becoming more rounded. Sweet fruits, then some dark notes of coffee, ashes, caramel, ending with a slightly bitter and medium long finish. Nice and harmonious, though not in the top flight.
Footnote:
93 points in 9/2002.
1927
D'Oliveira Bastardo
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
This wine displayed a slightly red iodine color.
Nose:
Dried fruits, some coffee and I also detected a strange almost strawberry like flavor.
Palate:
The palate showed some bitter toffee aromas, coffee again with some sweet richness but then a dry finish of medium length.
Footnote:
91 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. This Bastardo wine came from the Adegas de Torreao in Funchal. After the owner Vasco Lojas had died and none of his descendants wanted to take over the company, D'Olivieras bought most of the Torreao stock of old wines. The low yielding Bastardo grape seems to be extinct nowadays and only a few vintage wines are still around. I do admit that I was a little dissapointed because I had expected more from this particular wine.
1925
H. M. Borges Boal
Color:
Dark tawny with greenish rim, strange color, nothing like I have ever seen before.
Nose:
Whiff of VA at the beginning, promising, then toffee and a caleidoscope of burnt aromas, beef bouillon, also roasted onions, very pleasant.
Palate:
Fierce and biting acidity, even a little spirity, mouthwatering, medium sweetness with lots of caramel, quite concentrated, lots of sweet toffee with a just a hint of coffee, so not cloying, then after some airing time gaining in complexity, showing candied orange peel, chestnut, racy but very harmonious, ending with a long finish with bitter almonds.
Footnote:
96 points in 1/2008. Wide, rounded bottle with wicker cover and cap, short stopper cork, leaking a little from the transport. The bottle neck showed a dark brown JNV seal of authenticity, so the wine must have been bottled in or before the 1970ies. Regarding the only 45 years in cask, the wine showed remarkable concentration. Another excellent wine from the H. M. Borges company.
Tasted again a couple of months later, now even more complex, beautiful nose with lots of toffee, fruity, violets and roasted aromas as well, after a while also a pleasant honey aroma. The palate with lots of fruit and even more caramel, lots of toffee as well, mellow and complex, a glimpse of violets and then a long toffee finish with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.
1920
Uniao Vinicola Lda Malmsey
Bottle:
Quarter bottle with small cork and wax cover, importer's slip label, stating that the wine had been bottled in 1935.
Color:
Muddy iodine, tawny rim.
Nose:
Lots of VA, toffee and beef bouillon, then evolving into coffee and other more burnt aromas, very pleasant and rounded.
Palate:
Rather sweet, lots of VA again, featuring the typical medicine-like taste of some old Malmseys, also toffee and molasses, but also a strange strawberry flavor that just does not fit into the rest of the palate. Medium long finish with an emphasis on caramel and toffee, lacking a little in acidity.
Footnote:
88 points in 10/2007. From the information on the importer's slip label it seems like this wine had been bottled after 15 years in cask - strange. But since it was a quarter bottle, it might not have been intended for long term keeping anyway.
1915
Cossart Gordon Verdelho Solera
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, with irregular shape and imprinted "CG 1745" on the bottle, light crusting.
Color:
Dark Mahogany with slight orange reflexes, yellow-greenish rim.
Nose:
Lots of volatile acidity to start with, acetone, then some ammonia, after 48 hours rounded and sweet.
Palate:
Very spirity, acetone, ammonia, hardly drinkable, little sweetness. After 48 hours much better, harmonious and sweet fruit with good acidity, long and slightly bitter finish.
Footnote:
92 points in 2/2001, a typical example of how important the early decanting of old Madeira wines really is, 21% volume of alcohol.
1912
D'Oliveira Verdelho
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
The color was a medium dark mahogany with tawny rim.
Nose:
In the nose you could detect sweet dried fruits with ginger bread, but it seemed not quite clean to me.
Palate:
On the palate there was coffee and then some chocolate, good balance of sweetness and acidity and a nice rootbeer flavor, but just at the end you had a subdued taste like decaying wood.
Footnote:
92 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. This Verdelho came from the year the Titanic sunk. When tasting old Madeira wines it is sometimes difficult to shut out the historic background of the wines and the fascination that arises from it.
1910
Companhia Regional de Exportacao de Vinhos da Madeira Boal
Bottle:
Flask-shaped bottle of industrial make, covered with wicker, strange T-shaped stopper cork, leaking a little from the transport.
Color:
Medium dark mahogany, a little cloudy, amber rim.
Nose:
Lots of VA, biting the nostrils, then lots of fruity caramel, toffee, roasted coffee as well.
Palate:
Very acidic entry, almost with a burning sensation in the mouth, medium sweetness, very fruity and mellow, yet still high on acidity, a very pleasant combination, then a shift towards toffee, also lots of toffee in the finish of medium length, and a touch of darkness at the end, slightly bitter. Not the very best but interesting and very pleasant to drink. Quite similar in style to the 1908 Malmsey of the CREVM.
Footnote:
93 points in 3/2009
1908
Companhia Regional de Exportacao de Vinhos da Madeira Malmsey
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting on one side, short branded cork, very crumbly, under lead foil, tax stamp on the bottle.
Color:
Iodine, a little cloudy, tawny rim.
Nose:
Fruit and caramel, burnt and singed notes.
Palate:
Burnt sweet toffee with lots of mouthwatering acidity, caramel, very long finish with more toffee.
Footnote:
94 points in 2/2003, 19,5% volume of alcohol.
1907
Blandy Bual
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
This 1907 Boal was of a dark mahogany color, just a little darker than the D'Oliveira 1903.
Nose:
The nose also displayed some darker aromas, more on the roasted side with coffee, vanilla and toffee but very soft and rounded.
Palate:
The palate was very accessable, easy to drink with good acidity but very harmonious, then some vanilla and butter fudge, very creamy and soft.
Footnote:
94 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007.
1905 D’Oliveira Verdelho
This wine was also quite cloudy with a bright iodine brown, brighter than I had expected and showed a weird nose with an initial blast of burned sulphur, also lots of VA and stewed fruits. On the palate there was little sweetness, lots of acidity, citric lemon flavors, also some nuttiness, but the wine was not well integrated, the acidity seemed hot and spirity, even raw, when ending with a bitter, roasted finish. I have had this wine a couple of times before and this one usually is a very fine and nutty example of Verdelho. Something was certainly wrong with this bottle, so no points here. 7/2009.
1905
Luiz Filipe Costa Moscatel
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting, very oxydized and crumbly cork of medium length.
Color:
Medium dark iodine with golden rim.
Nose:
Intense honey and sweetness, filling the room in seconds, very harmonious.
Palate:
Very sweet, lots of honey, soft and rounded, bitter finish of medium length with coffee and ashes. Definitely not very typical for Moscatel but nevertheless very pleasant.
Footnote:
94 points in 12/2005. The only bottle of this producer I have ever encountered.
1903
D'Oliveira Bual
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
This wine had a dark mahogany color with orange rim.
Nose:
The nose was very strong and harmoniuos, vanilla, toffee and a little beef bouillon.
Palate:
The palate was complex with vanilla, toffee and dried fruits, powerful and still seemed a little raw like it needed even more time to develop (and that after more than 100 years...). The long and powerful finish displayed some bitter coffee aromas at the end and seemed also a little raw. Well, may be it does need more time?
Footnote:
95 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007.
1903 D’Oliveira Boal
Chuck had opened this wine many months before the tasting, so we were anxious to see how well it had kept. Showing a brilliant dark brown color, this Boal was not only in perfect shape, but also showed how beneficial a long decanting time can be. The nose was a perfect Boal nose with fudgy caramel, slightly nutty and still a little VA. The palate was equally impressive with lots of creamy caramel, backed by still crisp acidity, walnuts, and a long toffee finish, all very rounded and harmonious. A wonderful and classic Boal, at its best after being opened half a year ago! 97 points in 7/2009.
1900
Adegas de Torreao Vinhos Lda., Boal
This bottle with an IVM paper seal had been bought in Portugal. The stencils had been damaged by leaking bottle in the package, but they were still clearly legible and the cork was printed with "Adegas de Torreao, Vinhos, Lda, Madeira". The wine showed medium bright iodine and featured a mellow and harmonious nose of toffee and ginger cake. At the first sip the wine really jumped at you, with lots of acidity, just a little spirity at first, caramel, toffee and fruit and then... a short and bitter finish, leaving the mouth yearning for more. From the nose and the first attack I had expected a bit more length and body, but the wine was nevertheless interesting. After three hours in the glass it developed more length, even though the wine had been decanted 8 days before.
92 points in 6/2008.
1900
D'Oliviera Verdelho
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
Clean mahogany color with a iodine rim and just a little glycerin on the glass.
Nose:
The nose had some volatile acidity, ginger bread and some nice burnt flavors to it.
Palate:
In the mouth there was a pleasant balance of sweetness and acidity and some coffee, but the wine lacked a little depth. The finish was rather short.
Footnote:
92 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. Also a very old bottling tasted for 93 points in 8/2002 with a long bitter coffee finish and more complexity.
1900
D'Oliveira, Moscatel
Even though I have known this wine a long time, liking it for a long time I am always happy to taste this Moscatel Madeira. These Moscatels are rare today, the only other two wines that are still available are the 1875 Moscatel from D'Oliveira and the Moscatel Reserva Velha from Artur de Barros a Sousa, two wonderful wines as well. This Moscatel showed a warm and dark chestnut brown with orange rim. The nose was all sweet figs with a little bread as well. On the palate the wine was very sweet, showing just enough acidity to balance the sweetness, and then there were lots of raisins, caramel and a little molasses. Also in the finish the wine showed a slightly roasted impression keeping it from being cloying despite the dominant sweetness. A wonderful wine that wins me over every time and a perfect wine for the end of the tasting.
95 points in 6/2008.
1900
Barbeito Malvasia
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
This wine was a llittle cloudy from transport. The color was a rather cold mahogany.
Nose:
The nose had a strong marmalade flavor with some strawberry and tomato to it.
Palate:
It tasted very powerful with lots of vanilla and brown sugar, very concentrated with rich sweetness and good acidity. The finish was just a little hot.
Footnote:
86 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007.
1900 Manoel de Sousa Boal
Since little is known about this producer, I had bought two bottles of this wine at auction for a relatively low price. The cork seemed to be very short, just 13mm in length, so I had recorked the wine before the flight to the U.S., destroying a beautiful MSH (Manoel de Sousa Herdeiros) wax seal. The wine showed a rather dark cola color, the darkest of all wines, with an orange brown rim. The spicy nose was very impressive with prunes, stewed fruits, a little VA to make it even more complex. In the mouth the wine was quite sweet, but the sweetness was overpowered by a nearly insane acidity. The wine was very concentrated with caramel, toffee, quite complex and harmonious, with a long and slightly bitter but highly acidic finish. The acidity was so high, it almost seemed to be not fully integrated. A wine for acid freaks, powerful and concentrated, I liked it a lot. 96 points in 7/2009.
1898
Barbeito Sercial
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
The color was just a little lighter than the 1862 D'Oliveira Sercial, being more of a golden tawny with golden rim.
Nose:
The nose displayed some burnt toffee and a muddy saltiness that seemed a little to much like wet cardboard. I do not think that this was a bottle stink because the wine had only been bottled 4 years ago and this muddiness was only just detectable.
Palate:
The palate was a little lighter and less acidic than the 1862 D'Oliveira Sercial, some nuttiness there and a nice bitter finish.
Footnote:
88 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. This Sercial came from the Afonso family in Camara de Lobos and was bought by Barbeitos and bottled in 2002. The wine had at least spent 80 years in wood and had then been transferred to demijohns.
1890
Cossart Gordon, Malmsey
This wine was another highlight of the tasting. With dark iodine color and a very harmonious caramel nose it showed its full power in the mouth. The wine was very impressive with lots of sweetness but well balanced, raisins were dominant at first, but also bread, huge amounts of caramel and a creamy toffee taste as well, mellow and mouth watering, then a shift towards more darker and roasted aromas with coffee and molasses and finally a long toffee finish. The roasted aromas kept the wine from being cloying and so this malmsey was very pleasant. A perfect wine, a classic malmsey, complex and impressive.
96 points in 6/2008.
1885
Barbeito Verdelho
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
This wine had a clear and bright mahogany color with slightly orange rim and lots of glycerin on the glass.
Nose:
The nose for me was the most favorite of all the Verdelhos at the tasting because it was very accessable, very mild, round and harmonious, no VA, but a nice toffee flavor to it.
Palate:
On the contrary the palate seemed to be rather one-dimensional and light, with toffee, very little orange peel and a rather short finish.
Footnote:
87 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. In my opinion this was the weakest wine of the first flight
1882
AO-SM/Miles, Verdelho
This Verdelho had been bought by the MWC from D'Oliveiras in the 1970ies or 1980ies, shown by the letters AO-SM (Anibal D'Oliveira, Sao Martinho) on the bottle. A lot of the bottled wines had these letters removed later since the mid 1990ies but this bottle had been older, so the letters were intact. This wine has been sold under Blandy, Cossart and Miles labels. The wine showed a warm and dark iodine color with long legs in the glass. The nose was wonderfully harmonious with just the right amount of VA to add complexity, toffee and dates as well. The palate showed a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, in fact the wine was quite sweet for a Verdelho, lots of fruit and raisins, toffee and creme brulée, also a background of roasted aromas that were also dominant in the long fruity finish. A wonderful wine and the first highlight of the tasting!
95 points in 6/2008.
1878
Henriques & Henriques Sercial Solera
Bottle:
Bottle of industrial make, leaking from the transport, only half full. The bottle had just a short stopper-cork and the wine was leaking through the foil cover. Little crusting, indicating that the bottle had been stored upright.
Color:
Bright mahogany with orange rim, a little cloudy when tasted first, directly after receiving the leaking bottle in its wet packing.
Nose:
Wonderful and very harmonious bouquet of burnt aromas with a sharp lemon overtone.
Palate:
Powerful acidity comes first, then lemon and after that a rounded richness. The acidity is mouthwatering, balanced by the richness that almost gives the impression of sweetness, but the wine is definitely dry. Long finish with bitter lemon and persisting acidity. A wonderful wine with cleansing acidity.
Footnote:
96 points in 12/2006. To bad half of it had been lost on the transport.
1878
Justino Henriques Filhos Lda. "Fanal" Fine Madeira Wine
Bottle:
Modern bottle of early industrial make, neck label with vintage, wicker cap, short leaking crumbling cork, light crusting, small tax stamp on the bottle.
Color:
Bright mahogany with orange rim.
Nose:
Intense and harmonious, filling the room in seconds, molasses, beef bouillon, orange peel.
Palate:
Lots of alcohol but not spirity, good sweetness with lots of balanced acidity, mouthwatering, caramel, molasses, roasted coffee beans and the orange peels again. Long orangy finish. Reminded me of Boal (even though no grape variety was mentioned on the label) but it could also be a good Tinta Negra Mole wine.
Footnote:
95 points in 1/2002.
1877
Hedobald Petersens Madeira Crown Sercial
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting, chipped bottle neck so the short stopper-cork was leaking a little.
Color:
Bright iodine with orange rim.
Nose:
Beef bouillon with molasses and rather pleasant soy sauce note. Very harmonious.
Palate:
An overall impression of harmony, molasses, medium sweetness and good acidity to go with it. Long finish of ginger cake, toffee and a slightly bitter coffee note. Not at all typical for a Sercial, much more like a Boal. 4 hours after decanting the wine started to dry out.
Footnote:
93 points in 12/2004.
1875
D'Oliveira Moscatel
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
The Moscatel showed a dark iodine, almost mahogany color.
Nose:
The nose was rather subdued, none of the typical Moscatel flavors, a little dried fruit and raisins only.
Palate:
The palate was very sweet and concentrated, good acidity, a little cacao and candied orange peel. The finish was rather short.
Footnote:
93 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. Compared to other desert Moscatels like moscatel de Setubal I wonder were all the typical Moscatel flavors went.
1865
Miles Tinta
(from the Bianchi family)
Bottle:
Heavy bottle, blown in mold and rotated. Small stencils MILES MADEIRA and a damaged paper label reading "Tinta 1865, Res..., H..d. ... anchi, Fernando M. de Bianchi"
Color:
Bright tawny with golden rim.
Nose:
Piercing VA, then honey, butter and a rounded and pleasant herbal quality, also some petrol-like notes, very promising.
Palate:
Bone dry entry, highly acidic and rather spirity, reminding me of an old Cognac. Unfortunately allready dried out and faded. The wine improved considerably after a few hours, still very high acidity, but softened now, more pleasant and well developed Cognac notes. The finish is short and bitter, ending with cough medicine.
Footnote:
Tasted 11/2007, not awarding any points. Hmmmm, I did expect more, since it was the first really old Tinta vintage for me. The wine was well beyond its peak, but still it was very interesting to taste. The nose rose expectations that the palate could not live up to... I will mark this one down for experience, not for drinking pleasure.
There was a Fernando Bianchi who was general manager for the Madeira Wine Company (Madeira Wine Association back then) in the 1960ies.
1863
Barbeito Bual
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
The color was a clear dark iodine with tawny rim.
Nose:
The nose started with a little vanilla and dried fruits, but then some vegetable-like rather dirty smell with rotten strawberries.
Palate:
In the mouth you had some vanilla again, also toffee and balsamic vinegar that also showed in the rather short finish.
Footnote:
Tasted at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007, no points awarded since I think this was a faulty bottle. Clearly this was the weakest wine in the second flight.
1862
D'Oliveira Sercial
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
This wine was a little cloudy, displaying a iodine color with a little red. Lots of glycerin there.
Nose:
The nose had some volatile acidity that did not bother at all. Other aromas I could detect in the nose were burnt coffee and orange peel.
Palate:
The palate was quite explosive with lots of acidity, counterbalanced by some richness and a nice roasted coffee taste that seemed a little atypical for Sercial. The finish was very long and bitter with an ashy taste to it.
Footnote:
93 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. For me this was the better of the two Sercials tasted and the second best wine in the first flight.
1860
Blandy Sercial Solera
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting, lead foil cap with imprinted grape, short stopper cork.
Color:
Bright mudy iodine.
Nose:
Very subdued, little fruit, some toffee, not impressive.
Palate:
Very dry, some spirity alcohol, then piercing lemon-like acidity, long bitter lemon finish. After a few hours the wine was no longer spirity but the lemon-like acidity stayed, making this a mouth-cleansing classic Sercial.
Footnote:
93 points in 3/2004.
1850
D'Oliveira Verdelho
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
The wine was very cloudy, probably because of the recent transport by plane into the U.S. just a week ago. The color was a nice medium dark mahogany with tawny rim, again lots of glycerin on the glass.
Nose:
The nose had quite a lot of volatile acidity and was very rich, with toffee, dried fruits and some caramel.
Palate:
On the palate this wine was very rich, with a good sweetness and well balanced acidity. There were also toffee, caramel, coffee and orange peel, all very harmonious but multilayered. The finish was slightly bitter at the end, very long and just a little hot.
Footnote:
97 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. This wine was my personal favorite of the first flight. For me this was also one of the top three wines of the tasting! This wine had spent 138 years in cask before being bottled in 1988. The bottle had stencils on one side and a very colorful label of the German importer on the other side.
1846
Blandys Terrantez
Bottle:
Punted bottle of early industrial make. Crusting indicates storing in a lying position. Short and moist cork slightly leaking.
Color:
Medium-dark iodine with tawny rim, glass-coating viscosity.
Nose:
Very powerful nose with lots of different aromas but very harmoniously mixed. Also some strong beefy tones are evident.
Palate:
This is a super-concentrated wine with almost too much acidity. Powerful grape aroma, very rich and the acidity is overwhelming. I did not think that such concentration was possible in a wine. Very long and slightly bitter finish with persisting acidity and richness. Long after that I could still taste some burnt coffee in the corners of my mouth.
Footnote:
Tasted for 99 points in 06/2003, level brought up with sterile glass balls and recorked. I kept the empty glass for two days as a room deodorant. Wow - I had expected so little from this wine and then it was such a marvelous experience. This bottle was opened again at Roy Hersh's great Seattle Madeira Wine tasting 01/2007 and it was just as good in 2007 as it had been in 2003, scoring 99 points again. Now I also noted a vanilla richness i did not get before.
1839
Terrantez (private source)
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting, short moist cork, unfortunately leaking a little and destroying the beautiful coat of arms wax seal on top of it.
Color:
Golden iodine color.
Nose:
Intense sweetness with volatile acidity, ginger cake.
Palate:
Very, very concentrated palate, intensely fruity with good acidity and only a little sweetness. Bitter finish with medium length, showing some of that ginger cake again together with a harmonious coffee note. This is the classic Terrantez style!
Footnote:
96 points in 3/2006.
1839 Terrantez (producer unknown)
I had bought this wine at an auction a couple of years ago, together with a second bottle with no label, but of similar appearance. Supposedly both bottles contained the same wine (and looking back, I think it was the same wine), so I had opened the bottle without a label in 2006, finding it to be a perfect example of a highly acidic Terrantez. Knowing that Roy likes Terrantez and acidity I just had to bring the second bottle to this tasting. It had only a small handwritten paper label (fastened with scotch tape…) with “Terrantez (Madeira)” on it. It also featured some more writing after the “(Madeira)” that looked like “Pyreivan”, but I could not really convince myself to think of “Pereira” as in Pereira D’Oilveira. So the exact producer of this wonderful wine remains unknown. It featured a dark brown coffee color, also a little cloudy. The nose was lively and multi-layered with coffee, singed caramel and a little VA that softened nicely. In the mouth there was a perfect mixture of some sweetness with very high acidity, rich and decadent, but very precise, fudgy, with a hint of cinnamon, ending with a very long finish of brown sugar and coffee, and still that pinching acidity was shining through. Wow, what an amazing wine. To me there is no doubt that Madeira wine is at its best when produced from the difficult but rewarding Terrantez grape. Unfortunately there is no way to tell where this wine came from. 98 points in 7/2009.
1838
Private source Verdelho
Bottle:
Old, early machine made bottle, driven cork, lead foil capsule. Only a small paper slip label with "VERDELHO 1838", nothing else, no producer, no initials, nothing. I had seen a similar bottle at a shop in Lisboa/Portugal a few years ago. This bottle was one from a pair of twins that had been bought from a private source in Switzerland in 2001.
Color:
Muddy dark brown.
Nose:
As soon as the cork got out, the most anoying bottle-stink you can imagine filled the room. It was terrible! Somebody else entering the room said something about rotten cockroaches inside the bottle, but I couldn't find any... I decanted it three times to make sure the wine got good air contact, but it did not change very much. Six hours later the smell was still terrible and I feared for the worst. It wasn't VA but a wet cardboard-like smell mixed with ammonia... I decanted it once more and let it breathe over the night. The next morning I went back to it to find the smell a little less unpleasant. The nose opened up considerably after three days, lots of rounded toffee and caramel, ginger cake, together with a pleasant diesel-like fragrance that can be found in old Rieslings. The bottle stink almost disapeared, if i didn't know it had been there so badly, i could have easily missed it.
Palate:
When I took the first little sip my mouth got burned by pure acidity, lots of lemon fruit, no sweetness, not unpleasant but definitely undrinkable. The palate opened up a lot after three days, but the acidity was still overwhelming, and the concentration was so high, it made you throat sore. When the first acidic attack had passed there was lemon and other fruity aromas (pineapple, peach), pleasant but overpowered by the acidity. I tried to mix a little of this wine with water, but the result was not encouraging.
Footnote:
Tasted 8/2007, no points awarded. Is this just unrefreshed wine that has become so overconcentrated that it passed the state of being drinkable? Or is it some mixed fake wine? (Even though I doubt that.) Or is it simply a wine gone bad?
1836
Acciaioly Malmsey
Bottle:
Bottle of early industrial make with colorful label, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
This Malmsey had an intense medium dark tawny color.
Nose:
The nose displayed marmalade flavors with cherry and a little soapiness that did not really bother.
Palate:
The palate showed a high concentration, lots of toffee aroma and a wonderful creamy, almost oily finish.
Footnote:
94 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. Unfortunately Acciaioly went out of business half a century ago, so their wines get harder to find all the time.
1835
Nicolas Madere Imperiale
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, completely crusted, lots of sediment, heavy lead foil cap over a long, crumbly but moist cork, branded with "Nicolas depuis 1822".
Color:
Brilliant iodine with golden rim, certainly one of the most beautiful madeira wine colors I have ever seen.
Nose:
Sweet ginger cake with only little volatile acidity. Also some burnt coffee and a distinct toffee note, all very harmonious.
Palate:
Very spirity at first with lots of volatile acidity. After 3 hours beginning to soften, medium sweetness balanced by fierce piercing acidity (now I know what Michael Broadbent means when he writes of rapier-like acidity!), coffee, fresh bread, some hints of the cough medicine like taste that old Malmsey sometimes has. It all ended with a superlong bitter finish. A multilayered wine of extreme concentration!
Footnote:
Tasted for 95 points in 2/2004. When asking the company of Nicolas, Paris about the wine, they told me it had been bottled in the 1980ies. They advised me not to open it, because "you will only have taste of acidity, best to keep it just for collection." How wrong they were! This particular wine has been sold by Nicolas for a very long time. I came across an inventory of Nicolas of 1937 were they list a "1835 Madere Imperial Reserve" for 50 fr. per bottle, one of the most expensive wines in the whole list. I have been told by a frequent visitor to Paris, that as late as the mid 1980ies there where casks of Madeira wine in the cellar and bottling was done in small batches according to demand. So it looks like Nicolas acquired some casks of Madeira wine and bottled the wine until the casks were empty. Of course this must have led to tremendous concentration over the years. Another bottle with a slightly different label and foil cap tasted 8/2007 with the same pleasant results, scoring 95 points, cork branded with "MADERE 1835". The difference of label, cap and cork supports the theory of different bottling periods. Another (leaking) bottle tasted 6/2008, scoring 93 points. The color was medium bright ebony and the nose still had some VA after 8 days of decanting, but also fruit, toffee and violets, two days later I also noticed pipe tobacco and bees wax. The palate showed lots of acidity, but well balanced with medium sweetness, fruit and violets again, also some roasted aromas in the background that led to long and bitter finish. A concentrated wine and quite complex.
1834
Barbeito Malvasia
Bottle:
Modern stencilled bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
The color was a medium tawny.
Nose:
A strange chemical nose that had marmelade, honey and dried fruit. The strange note would not clear and I think Roy hit it best with calling it an artificial "plastic" note.
Palate:
The taste was rich with coffee and toffee, but also had a strange quality to it, something oily, leathery, artificial.
Footnote:
92 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. This is the oldest wine of Barbeitos now available in Funchal after they bottled up all of the 1795 Terrantez. May be this was a faulty bottle? I have had this wine several times before and it can definitely do much better.
Tasted again in 10/2007 (a 1998 or 1999 bottling) and much better now, scoring 96 points. The nose was abundant with caramel and raisins and very powerful. The palate showed even more power, featuring concentrated dried fruits, with raisins dominant and even more caramel and toffee. Very long finish, underlined by the perfect amount of acidity that kept it going and going. What a great value, what a great wine. I am glad things are back to normal.
1830
Quinta do Serrado Malmsey
Bottle:
Modern stencilled bottle of industrial make, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
This wine had a brilliant iodine color with a slightly redish center, a little lighter than other Malmseys.
Nose:
The nose showed vanilla, toffee, some figs and was very rounded.
Palate:
On the palate you had a very impressive balance of power between acidity and sweetness, together with toffee, some leathery aromas and concentrated brown sugar. The finish was very long and I liked this wine a lot.
Footnote:
96 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. I gave it the second place in the third flight.
1830 Justino Henriques Sercial Solera
Since this bottle had only been 2/3rds full, I had been able to buy it at a very competitive price. I expected next to nothing from this particularly wine. Interestingly, the label said "Solera of the Vintage", but I still think it was a Solera wine. The wine had been bottled by Vinhos Justinos Henriques, but originally came from the estates of Joao Alfredo Faria. The previous owner of the bottle had bought it about 50-60 years ago and it was found again when he cleaned out his cellar. The bottle was #178 of a total number of only 700 bottles. The wine had a muddy brown appearance, very cloudy, probably stirred up sediment from the transport. The sweet and spicy toffee nose had considerable VA and walnuts. The palate was quite sweet for a Sercial, in fact the wine seemd a little on the soft side, especially for a Sercial. There were nutty flavors, some roasted, slightly bitter aromas, but the wine was not very complex and had a bitter and acidic finish of medium length. Certainly not in the top ranks, but not a bad value for the bargain price. 92 points in 7/2009.
1828
Blandy Boal Solera
Bottle:
Modern bottle of early industrial make, light crusting, little sediment, short and moist cork, only kept in place by the wax cover.
Color:
Iodine brown with lots of glycerine, orange rim.
Nose:
Subdued fuity nose, harmonious.
Palate:
Very concentrated, medium sweetness with lots of acidity to balance, fruity and mouthwatering, long and harmonious finish, excellent!
Footnote:
96 points in 12/2002, 23% of volume alcohol.
1827
Quinta do Serrado Boal
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, handpainted, driven cork of medium length with wax cover, moist and in excellent condition.
Color:
Brilliant dark mahogany with tawny rim.
Nose:
In the nose this wine was all vanilla and syrupy molasses, very rich, rounded and harmonious.
Palate:
On the palate this Boal was super concentrated, with maximum acidity yet well balanced with considerable sweetness. There were lots of vanilla again, toffee, brown sugar and maple syrup. The multilayered finish just went on and on and on.
Footnote:
98 points at the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting 01/2007. For me this was the winner of the second flight and one of the top three wines of the tasting! This wine from Camara de Lobos had been matured in oak casks until 1935 and had then been put into demijohns. Just before the sale at Chistie's in 1989 it had been bottled in 1988.
1827 Quinta do Serrado Boal
This is one of my all time favorites and I was very happy to see, that Chuck had brought this wine to the tasting. This Boal showed a brilliant dark iodine brown with a slightly red center. The nose was a little subdued, with hints of VA, caramel and toffee. The palate shifted to a higher gear, with elegant sweetness in perfect balance with powerful acidity. This wonderful Boal displayed brown sugar, multiple layers of nutty caramel, a hint of vanilla, and a long and acidic caramel finish with a little roasted coffee in the end. Hmmm, the taste kept sitting in the far corners of the mouth for a long time, a wonderful example of Boal, perfectly showing why this is considered a classic collectors Madeira. 97 points in 7/2009.
1818
Listao (private source)
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting, red wax seal slightly broken, but not leaking.
Color:
Pale iodine.
Nose:
Caramel, honey, orange peel, ginger cake, little alcohol, very harmonious.
Palate:
Spirity and rather dried out, lots of acidity, ashes, burnt coffee and then it is gone - just a short bitter finish.
Footnote:
Tasted 10/2005, no points awarded. The only old Listrao I have ever had. The bottle had a stencilled LISTAO 1818 on it, why the R was missing I don't know. The nose clearly showed an old wine and the palate indicated an old wine too, well beyond its peak. Still I can't rule out the fact that the bottle might have been a fake. 20% of volume alcohol, so it sure was a fortified wine.
1799
R.V. seco (Reverva Velha, private source)
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting, red wax seal slightly broken.
Color:
Pale iodine.
Nose:
Some fruity sweetness, honey, little alcohol, subdued but very harmonious.
Palate:
Dry with very much acidity, mouthwatering, oily feel in the mouth, very concentrated with little fruit. Short finish with coffee and ginger cake, already a little dried out and tired.
Footnote:
91 points in 10/2005. From the same source as the 1818 Listao, also stencilled and possibly a fake too, even though nose and palate were consistent with a very old wine beyond its peak.
1795
Barbeito Terrantez
Bottle:
Modern bottle of industrial make, light crusting.
Color:
Medium tawny.
Nose:
Quite flowery and fruity nose, very harmonious.
Palate:
Lots of acidity, only very little sweetness, an overall impression of a fruity dryness that lead to a long and slightly bitter finish, still with powerful acidity.
Footnote:
94 points in 10/2003 in Funchal and 95 points in 1999 in Funchal. The bottle in 10/2003 had been opened 4 months ago and may be that was the reason why the wine did not taste as fruity as in 1999 when the bottle had only been opened two days before the tasting.
1792
Blandy's "Napoleon"
Bottle:
Three-part mold, burgundy shaped, dark-brown color, little crusting, crudely re(?)corked and sealed with dark-brown wax, wearing a small cardboard tag with "Blandy's 1792 Napoleon Madeira" on it. The cork was moist and in good shape, consistent with an age no older than 40 years. No label, no stencils on the bottle.
Color:
Brilliant medium brown iodine.
Nose:
Very floral nose with a varnishy lift to it, coming close to Broadbent's "crystalized violets", promising.
Palate:
Off dry, faded, dried out, even rather spirity, evidently very old, but starting to desintegrate and well beyond its peak. Reminding me a little of a faded old Cognac, no telling what the original grape variety was.
Footnote:
Tasted at a private tasting in 4/2005, no points awarded. The owner swore it was the famous "Napoleon" Madeira. He had gotten it from a private U.K. source. The seller had told him that there was a cellar book record, suggesting that it was indeed the 1792 wine. As I understood there had been several bottles of that wine. I still have doubts about the authenticity of that bottle, especially after seeing another bottle of the 1792 with different shape and the remains of a Blandy's paper label.
Vintage Wines without a known vintage year
Terrantez Old Reserve, Vinhos Justino Henriques
This is always one of my favourite wines. Color of medium tawny, nutty nose with caramel and some VA as well, but the palate is the real winner: just a little sweetness but nevertheless very rich and silky, with strong acidity, layers of walnut, toffee and always a hint of bitterness in the background that goes on to a long finish. A very complex wine. The exact age is unknown, and estimates range from 40 to 70 years, but you don’t really care once you drank it. This wine gives a very good impression of the glory of old and concentrated Terrantez vintage Madeiras – for a fraction of the price. 95 points in 10/2003 and 95 points in 3/2008.