External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2013
2012
N.V.
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 48 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 10/27/2023 & rated 91 points: Fruit of dark raisins and plum. Smoke, burned sugar, liquorish and intense nutty flavors. Nice acidity. Good balance, but mediocre aromatic intensity on the palate. (458 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 8/12/2023 & rated 95 points: Coffee, black chocolate, Williams and Rum, sweet notes of Champagne truffes, burned sugar and brown sugar. Some heat on the palate which was not a surprise (16% alc.), but in good balance with a long and intense finish. This was highly enjoyable and an amazing alternative to Ports. (641 views) | | | Tasted by mrgarreth on 5/22/2023 & rated 91 points: Indestructible. Notes of roasted apples with mace, cognac barrel, fruit cake, bitter orange oil, floor polish. Mellow and rich. Clears the sinuses! Decent finish. (529 views) | | | Tasted by mwneil on 5/10/2023 & rated 95 points: Good stuff, flavor, balance, nuttiness, declish. (570 views) | | | Tasted by mrgarreth on 1/23/2023 & rated 92 points: Some nights are made for luxuriating with old friends. There are few friends so delightful as a flight of Madeiras, opening with this 15yo Verdelho. It has an elegant nose of varnish, walnuts, dried peaches and apricot jam, with all this and some olive notes on the palate. Linear acidity keeps it fresh and well-balanced. The finish makes you lie back in contemplation. More people should pick up great Madeira like this. (737 views) | | | Tasted by mrgarreth on 1/1/2023 & rated 89 points: Intense on the nose and palate with notes of bruised apple, salted caramel, violin polish, almond frangiapane, dried pineapple, walnut, glacé apricots, dark chocolate. A tonne of acidity balanced with sweetness and warming alcohol. A rich and complex finish. (552 views) | | | Tasted by Border Boss on 11/20/2022 & rated 92 points: Today's bottle has a touch more sweetness than I remember, but it's still well balanced by the acidity, making it an "off-dry" style of wine. Dark caramel color. The fruit and acidity allowed this to pair fabulously with Nantucket Bay scallops and prawns in a cream sauce. (550 views) | | | Tasted by mrgarreth on 6/26/2021 & rated 88 points: Pink grapefruit caramelised with brown sugar. Raisin. Rancio, plum, apple pie. It has a real crispness. Long, smoky, floral finish. (1175 views) | | | Tasted by smoothjazz on 6/7/2021 & rated 90 points: Pleasant drinker; nothing outstanding (1224 views) | | | Tasted by R J Lewis on 5/17/2021: Extremely pronounced aromas. Coffee, raisin, milk chocolate, meat, walnut. (1045 views) | | | Tasted by theebigjuan on 5/5/2021 & rated 91 points: Well balanced. Round mouthfeel. Caramel accents nicely. Smooth finish. (1074 views) | | | Tasted by Larsrar on 1/19/2021 & rated 87 points: Not as good as I remember.
Relatively sweet style for a Verdelho. (1188 views) | | | Tasted by NateR on 9/19/2019 & rated 89 points: Very nice but fairly simple verdelho. Nice balance of acid and sugar, with a moderate rancio flavor. (1381 views) | | | Tasted by Echinosum on 3/15/2019 & rated 88 points: I had the benefit of being able to compare this against the H&H 20-yr-old Verdelho. I had also recently consumed a bottle of Justino 10-yr-old Verdelho. H&H is owned by Justino, and considered the up-market brand of the Justino group. Comparison was through owning all the bottles and drinking each over an extended period. The three wines are given fairly similar scores on this site, which might be surprising given the large price differences. However I find the differences in the wines are much larger than difference in the scores given to them, which suggests that people are relatively rarely able to compare Madeiras.
I have learned through experience that Madeira even of this type definitely benefits from being open for a day or so before you drink it. Don’t open it and expect it to be immediately at its best. It does survive indefinitely after opening and doesn’t require chilling.
The H&H 15-yr-old Verdelho is a very popular industry benchmark at this quality level. It is really quite dry in comparison to the unusually sweet Justino 10-yr-old. It has more specific tropical fruit Verdelho flavour than the Justino, which is really rather generic in flavour. However that tropical fruit flavour is still quite fleeting in comparison to fine vintage wines I have on rare occasion tasted.
What are you missing in not drinking the 20-yr-old at twice the price? The latter wine is really quite in a different class, being so much more concentrated and viscous, and has a much more obvious specific Verdelho flavour, and a greater grip and acidity. It seems that the difference is much larger than can be attributed to just 1/3 longer aging, so I would guess you are getting a much better selection of barrels with the latter. (1865 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 12/1/2018 & rated 90 points: Henriques & Henriques at Red & White (Chicago, IL): Much more restrained than the somewhat loud 10-year version. The brown sugar lends a bit of roundness here that calms the acidity. A good dose of spiciness and caramel here, but far less complex than the 20-year terrantez. (3094 views) | | | Tasted by henrygjeffreys on 11/30/2018: orange peel on the nose, toffee and brown sugar
100% from own vineyards
Lots of acidity, lemon peel, apricots, nutty with orangey notes,
Approx 93g of residual sugar
very long (2516 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 10/16/2018 & rated 91 points: Medium dark orange color; toffee, almond, honey butter nose; silky textured, honey, orange honey palate with good acidity; long finish 91+ points (910 views) | | | Tasted by Bearbus on 2/25/2017: Roast coffee beans, caramel, dried pears, hazelnuts, crystalised citrus fruit, salt spray, orange zest, prunes, figs, old varnished wood - there's a lot going on if you care to look. Tangy, some sweetness yet drying, racy acidity in the finish, good length. Delicious (2565 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 12/5/2016 & rated 89 points: Light orange color; date cake, coffee, praline nose; silky textured, coffee, date cake, praline palate with balancing acidity; long finish (530 views) | | | Tasted by trastevere on 6/3/2016 & rated 93 points: Golden brown. Great bouquet with walnuts and orange zest, really intense and lingering, off dry, layers of fruit, with prunes and figs, caramel, density of fruit balanced by lovely acidity, long zesty nutty finish. (3259 views) | | | Tasted by Xavier Auerbach on 5/28/2016 & rated 93 points: A private lunch (The Nut Tree Inn *, Murcott, UK): A 50cl bottle. An outstanding Verdelho, complex and intense, medium dry, crystallised apricot fruit, nuts, vanilla, spices, tangy yet silky and harmonious, salty intensity, excellent length. A classic Verdelho, nothing out of place. (3486 views) | | | Tasted by isaacjamesbaker on 2/3/2016 & rated 87 points: Madeira Pilgrimage; 2/1/2016-2/4/2016 (Madeira): Smells like tropical, glazed fruits (a whole lot of them). Sweet pineapple, glazed pears, canned peaches, honey. Good stuff, but I was expecting to like this more than I did. (4246 views) | | | Tasted by Bearbus on 5/8/2015: very oaky, dresser furniture with polish, plum, orange skin, oak spices; oaky - raw, slight alc heat, but good balance otherwise. Others (not Verdelho) likely better (1333 views) | | | Tasted by henrygjeffreys on 2/14/2015: smoky nose, whiff of rum here
dry, smoky, peppery
very elegant
finish builds and builds and then goes on
Long (2688 views) | | | Tasted by Bearbus on 4/18/2014: toffee, tea chest, walnut skin, date, complex; lovely balance, not too sweet this one, great (804 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Richard Mayson
Decanter, Expert's Choice Madeira (9/7/2022)
(NV Henriques & Henriques, 15 Year Old Verdelho, Verdelho, Madeira, Portugal, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Mayson
Decanter, Expert's Choice Madeira (9/7/2022)
(NV Henriques & Henriques, 15 Year Old Verdelho, Verdelho, Madeira, Portugal, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (5/27/2021)
(NV Henriques & Henriques, Verdelho 15 Year Old Madeira White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/28/2014)
(NV Henriques & Henriques, Verdelho 15 Year Old deira White) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2014, Issue #49, Madeira- Timeless Island Wines From Just This Side of Paradise
(NV H & H Verdelho Fifteen Years Old) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/24/2013)
(NV Henriques & Henriques, 15 Year Old Verdelho Madeira White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/19/2010)
(NV Henriques & Henriques, 15 Years Old Verdelho NV Madeira White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Roy Hersh
For The Love of Port
(NV Henriques & Henriques 15 Year Old Verdelho Madeira) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (10/16/2018)
(NV Henriques & Henriques Madeira Verdelho 15 Years Old) Medium dark orange color; toffee, almond, honey butter nose; silky textured, honey, orange honey palate with good acidity; long finish 91+ points 91 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (12/5/2016)
(NV Henriques & Henriques Madeira Verdelho 15 Years Old) Light orange color; date cake, coffee, praline nose; silky textured, coffee, date cake, praline palate with balancing acidity; long finish 89 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (6/12/2012)
(NV Henriques & Henriques Madeira Verdelho 15 Years Old) Dark orange color with pale meniscus; roast almond, burnt almond, salted cashew nose; tasty, cashew, cashew butter, toasted almond palate with grip; long finish 91+ points (good value at about $50) 91 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (10/10/2010)
(NV Henriques & Henriques Madeira Verdelho 15 Years Old) Medium amber color with ruby lights; almond, amaretto, orange, tangerine nose; creamy textured, almond, orange, tangerine palate; long finish 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and JancisRobinson.com and View From the Cellar and For The Love of Port and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Henriques & Henriques Producer Website.Verdelho Varietal character (Appellation America)Portugal ViniPortugal (Associação Interprofissional para a Promoção dos Vinhos Portugueses/Portuguese Wine Trade Association)MadeiraThe Madeira Wine Guide and For The Love of Port are two essential sites on the wines of Madeira.MadeiraFrom Mannie Burk@ Rare Wine Co :
When served in 1950, the wine was 158 years old, but in fine condition, still boasting Madeira’s trademark rich, sweet, velvety taste and roomfilling aromas of butterscotch, cocoa and coffee. Sir Winston insisted on serving the guests himself, asking each in turn, “Do you realize that when this wine was vintaged Marie Antoinette was alive?”
Madeira’s longevity earns it a special place in the realm of old wine. What other wine requires over a half century to mature? And what other wine, when a century old, still benefits from several hours of breathing and can stand up to weeks in a decanter, without losing its complexity or its richness? And how many wines can live for two centuries and still offer not only the pleasure of their antiquity, but also the enjoyment of drinking?
The robustness and longevity of Madeira, even once opened, allows for endless experimentation with food pairings and drinking occasions.
Madeira’s Mountain Vineyards:
Madeira is produced on a breathtakingly beautiful volcanic island of the same name which surges from the sea at a point 360 miles west of Morocco and 700 miles south of Portugal, which governs it. The history of Madeira’s wine is nearly as old as that of the island. The island was first settled by Europeans—led by the Portuguese explorer Zarco—in 1419. By 1455 a visitor from Venice wrote that Madeira’s vineyards were the world's most beautiful. Within a century, the wine from these vineyards was well established in markets throughout Europe and by the 1600’s it had become the most popular wine in Britain’s North American colonies.
America’s First Wine:
The popularity of Madeira in the American colonies got a huge boost in 1665 when the British authorities banned the importation of products made or grown in Europe, unless shipped on British vessels from British ports. Products from Madeira were specifically exempted. British merchants in Madeira took full advantage of this by establishing close ties with merchants in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston and Savannah. A steady trade developed in which wine from Madeira was traded for such American products as indigo, corn and cotton. This trade continued unabated until the early 1800’s, except when politics and war interfered in the 1770’s.
For two centuries, Madeira was the wine of choice for most affluent Americans. Francis Scott Keyes is said to have penned the Star Spangled Banner, sipping from a glass of Madeira. George Washington's inauguration was toasted with Madeira, as was the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Wealthy families from Boston to Savannah established extensive collections of Madeiras. Madeira became high fashion, and“Madeira parties” (a forerunner of today’s wine tasting) became major social events.
How Madeira is Made:
Madeira is produced from grapes grown on terraces cut into the island's steep mountainsides. Like Port, Madeira is a “fortified” wine to which brandy has been added. But unlike other fortified wines, Madeira is also heated for several months, either in special vats or in the attic lofts of the Madeira lodges.
This heating (called “estufagem”) had its origins in the days when merchant ships called at Madeira on their way to the East and West Indies. Beginning in the late 1600's, wines from Madeira's vineyards were frequent cargo on ships sailing to the Americas, as well as to mainland Portugal, England and India. According to legend, the value of a trip to the tropics was learned when an orphan cask, forgotten in a ship's hold, returned to Madeira from a trip across the Equator. The wine was found to be rich and velvety, far better than when it left, and a tropical cruise became part of the Madeira winemaking tradition.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, producers continued to send casks of their wines on long voyages, for no other reason than to develop greater character. The ocean traveling wines were called vina da roda (“wines of the round voyage”) and those that crossed the Equator twice were considered the best. Some Madeiras were named for the vessels with which they sailed (Constitution, Balthazar, Red jacket, Hurricane, Comet) or the places they had been (East Indies, West Indies, Japan, Argentina). Although this practice ended in the first decade of the 20th century, heating is still a critical step in the making of all Madeiras.
A Century of Change:
While the majority of Madeiras are blends of vintages and grape varieties, it is the vintage wines, and the now-vanishing soleras that are Madeira’s claim to greatness. Vintage and solera Madeiras are not simply a selection of the best wines from the best years, they are made from particular “noble” grape varieties after which the wines are named. These names—Malmsey, Bual, Verdelho, Sercial—not only describe a grape variety; they also describe a style, with Malmsey being the sweetest and richest (and therefore the most like Vintage Port) and Sercial being the lightest and the driest.
There are other grape varieties whose names you may stumble across on old bottles of Madeira. Terrantez and Bastardo, in particular, are grapes that were widely grown up to the late 1800's and whose old wines can still be found on occasion. The virtual extinction of Terrantez and Bastardo grapevines in the late 1800's coincided with the decline of the Madeira wine trade and resulted from the same causes: two diseases of the vine, Oidium and Phylloxera, both of which also struck the vineyards of Europe, but in Madeira caused much greater, and more lasting, destruction.
The Oidium crisis began in 1852 and lasted about a decade; during this time some 90 percent of the island's vines were destroyed by powdery mildew, and the number of firms producing wine decreased by over 75 percent. There was a brief period of replanting and rebuilding in the 1860's, but then Phylloxera struck in 1872, reducing the island's vine acreage to about 1,000 by the early 1880’s.
The Phylloxera crisis, too, passed, and by the turn of the century production had been restored throughout the island, albeit at somewhat lower levels. But the costs had been heavy. Madeira had largely lost its traditional markets—America, England and the British East Indian colonies. Relatively less of the classic grape varieties were now grown, as they gave way to more prolific, but less distinguished, varieties. And, of course, stocks of older wines had been largely depleted, after a half century during which little young wine was being produced.
Today, the world's supply of fine Madeira is negligible. However, those few examples that have survived from the 19th and early 20th centuries are among the world's most majestic wines, which no wine lover should fail to experience.
Over the past twenty years, our passion for these noble wines has grown with each passing month. We believe that they are among the greatest, most individual wines this planet has ever produced. They possess a richness and grandeur shared by only a few wines.
And their ability to age makes them absolutely unique. Most wines are dead and gone at age 100; and at best they are barely drinkable. But after a century, a Madeira can be just reaching its prime, possessing the depth of great age, but also the vigor of youth.
The gradual depletion of the world’s stocks of these irreplaceable wines has only encouraged us to try harder to find the wines that remain.
A Note on Prices and Quality:
As they have grown in rarity, and the sources of supply diminish, the price of Madeira on the world market has skyrocketed. Though many of the older wines arguably are worth whatever you may be asked to pay, the rising tide—combined with Madeira’s mystique—has also raised the prices of mediocrities to the levels of the greats. |
|
