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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 94.7 pts. and median of 95 pts. in 30 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by lightning on 8/5/2022 & rated 97 points: Transparent medium to dark brown. Leaps out of the glass, with notes of orange, nuts, creme brûlée, and that Madeira tang. Medium-bodied and elegant in texture - beautiful line and length and layered, before a wonderful midpalate of orange, earth, coffee notes and much more, flanked by a piercing yet balancing acidity. The elegance and layering of this wine sets it apart - texturally very exciting. Excellent length. (1527 views) | | | Tasted by dream on 7/18/2022 & rated 95 points: A rich and decadent Madeira but at age 100 its showing excellent mature flavors of molasses, fig and dark spices. Medium sweetness without any cloying and amazing intensity. The finish is taut and crisp with great succulence and complexity. A superb Boal that should grow even more complex and elegant over the next 100 years! (1571 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 12/7/2018 & rated 92 points: A Birthday Celebration (Taste 222 - Chicago IL): Dried cherry, almonds and figs with a long, bright and energetic finish and great textural charm. So enjoyable, with a moderated sweetness that wouldn't pair well with dessert. (4243 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 11/17/2017: Thirteenth Annual White Truffle Dinner (Chez Weber - Chicago IL): Late night, small glass, brief note. Figs and dates and toasted almonds with the richness and sweetness of marzipan. Very good length and intensity. (5473 views) | | | Tasted by rmalloy on 6/15/2016 & rated 96 points: Really great. Tasted at Saison SF. (6114 views) | | | Tasted by acidqueen on 8/8/2015 & rated 96 points: Bottled opened in December 2014. Tastes of walnut skins, sweet almond, citrus, bacon, dried figs and Christmas pudding. Outstanding. This just gets better and better. I bought a case of this a number of years ago, and glad I did. (6043 views) | | | Tasted by bill00 on 7/31/2015 & rated 94 points: Caramel, crème brulee with yeasty, bread dough notes and sandalwood. Very nicely balanced. Drank this over about 9 months and enjoyed throughout. (6027 views) | | | Tasted by Loren Sonkin on 7/10/2015 & rated 96 points: 90's Burgs, TBA's, Madeiras and a Sherry (John V.'s): Another bottle that had been sitting on John's counter for a while. The nose has toffee and chocolate covered oranges. very smooth yet very complex on the palate. Maybe my favorite of the flight. Smooth with no heat. Great acidity and texture. Long finish. (5080 views) | | | Tasted by jlgnml on 1/13/2015 & rated 95 points: IWFSC 801 Dinner (BOKA Chicago, IL): Caramel, sweetness, floral nose, lasting on the palate, great long finish. (4525 views) | | | Tasted by Loren Sonkin on 7/19/2014 & rated 95 points: Chablis, Dom. Laurent, Suduiraut, Madeira (John V.'s): John had this already opened, so he brought it out. Brown in color. The nose is great with orange peel, toffee, coffee and chocolate covered raisins. Slightly sweet. Orange peels, oranges, milk chocolate on the palate. Very smooth. Long finish. Gorgeous. (4040 views) | | | Tasted by kevinacohn on 3/15/2014: Private Dinner (New York, NY): Opened November 17, 2013. I found this hard to taste, perhaps because of the intensity of the acid in the previous bottle. One of our dinner companions said, "It's like a sassy blonde chewing on a tobacco leaf while sliding down an old mahogany banister, with a splinter of acidity." Take that for what you will. Perhaps at some point I'll get to revisit this and will be able to distinguish some of the aromas or flavors myself. Not rated. (3511 views) | | | Tasted by Loren Sonkin on 1/25/2014 & rated 94 points: 2002 Oregon Pinot Retro + Port/Madeira (JV's): So John went into the kitchen and brought out a bottle of this that was about 60% consumed. He said it had been opened for 6 to 9 months, which, of course, is no problem for an older Madeira. The cork was stuck, so Charlie attempted to get the cork out, but it broke off even with the rim. John said he would be right back (we assumed he was getting a cork screw), but no, he came back with another partially consumed bottle of the same wine. :-) We eventually got both bottles opened and had a nice taste.
The wines is brown in color, more golden at the rim. There are some green specks in it. The nose is toffee, coffee and oranges. On the palate, this is smooth, complex and easy to sip. Delicious. A real treat to think my father was 11 and my mother 1 when this wine was grown. (3894 views) | | | Tasted by mflesh on 12/18/2012 & rated 95 points: Enjoyed at Pappa's Brothers Steakhouse Dallas (PBSH Dallas) on our 8th wedding anniversary. This is a salty yet sweet Madeira and was a treat. Enjoyed alone, it is to be noted that this is certainly something that would pair very well with just about anything. The nose showed the age. The entry was orange peel that faded to a salty plum, and VERY smooth. Alcohol seemed a bit restrained, and heated up as it sat on the tongue and this is where the roasted nuts and tobacco leaf notes started showing up. Sweet alcoholic finish that then ramped up with some white pepper out of nowhere. Sometimes it was a little tart. You can definitely taste and smell the age. Amazing. I wish I had a ton of this - be thankful, CT members, if you hold this one. Keep now, or pass down the family tree..... this one is still going strong. (4773 views) | | | Tasted by dream on 10/17/2012 & rated 93 points: A thickly-textured Madeira with the sweetness of a Malvasia. Deep, rich and intense with flavors of molasses, coffee, caramel, varnish and maple syrup. Finishes very complex with notes of spices and orange peel. Perhaps only lacks a little elegance which could come with time. 93+ (4474 views) | | | Tasted by acidqueen on 7/2/2012 & rated 95 points: Opened several months ago. Medium brown with green edges. Rich, deep nose of molasses and fig. Tastes of Marmite, fig, smoked ham, chocolate and dark maple syrup. Coffee candy too. Medium acid for a Madeira, but plenty enough to keep this balanced. More of a dark brooding Madeira than other styles - rich, robust and remarkably syrupy. Outstanding. Definitely needs several weeks open to really shine. (4671 views) | | | Tasted by Jay Hack on 6/2/2012 & rated 95 points: My second foray with this wine. We had a bottle of it in 2007 for my mother's 85th birthday, and we had another one for her 90th. Last time, I decanted based upon the recommendation of the D'Oliveiras family and gave it only about 2 hours of air. I decided it was not enough, so this time I followed Roy Hersh's recommendation from 2007 and decanted it at about 5 hours in advance, poured it back into the bottle from the decanter about 2 hours before we drank it, and then poured 28 glasses of it for all the adults at the party and drank it as the opening taste for the Havdalah service we conducted at the restaurant before dinner. This is definitely a wine that should be savored carefully, and thus belongs either on its own or at the beginning rather than the end of the meal. The nose is explosively nutty and sweet with some vanilla. Although there is acid present, this one - probably because of the longer decant - was less sharp on the palate with no bitterness from the acidity. Sweet without being sugary or syrupy, with lots of roasted nuts, orange peel and lemon. Color was translucent but dark brown. Superb balance. My wife is not a sweet wine drinker, but she really enjoyed this, as did many others, who begged me for more. Alas, there were no "seconds" since I saved only the last ounce for myself to bring home and try in a few days. I have one ounce left from the bottle I opened in 2007, and I will drink them side by side to see what 5 years of air will do to a Madeira. With luck, I will need, and be able to find, another bottle of this in 10 years. (4372 views) | | | Tasted by lightning on 4/14/2012 & rated 93 points: At D'Oliveiras. The main thing I recall was a strong pepper note in the midpalate and end...not in a bad way, but a characteristic I've not experienced in any other madeira. (4211 views) | | | Tasted by dream on 10/27/2011 & rated 95 points: Dark, slightly cloudy color. Incredibly expansive flavors of varnish, molasses and dark forest. Still young but just a perfect Madeira with it's spicy wood flavors and great, complex finish. Wow! 95+ (3201 views) | | | Tasted by acidqueen on 7/17/2011 & rated 93 points: It is amazing what 2 months in the decanter will do for Madeira. After 3 days opened this was very hard to taste, heavy, tight and chunky, hard to drink. I have now had it open for 2 months, and it is really beginning to be more engaging.
Very dark chocolate brown color with yellow at the edge. Salty, tangy nose. Tastes of smoked ham, cocoa, molasses and panforte (fig and nuts). It has a decent amount of acid, but not overwhelming. Not a particularly elegant wine (see my notes on the 1920 Favilla Veiera which I tasted chez moi at the same time), but very good flavors and coming together nicely. (3073 views) | | | Tasted by abh on 12/31/2010: Just a sip, but this is incredibly good. I've had good - including C19th - Madeira before but this is definitely the best I can remember. Caramelized orange peel is the obvious flavor, but it is really all about the concentration and intensity, which is quite unbelievable and coupled with acidic freshness. Utterly spectacular. (3152 views) | | | Tasted by rosesandthorns on 8/1/2010 & rated 97 points: In my book D'Oliveiras makes the greatest Bual and 1922 was an underrated year until it wasn't and the price went through the roof. Buals are a brilliant varietal of madeira that illustrates the tension between residual sweetness and bracing acidity and offers up a heady nose of candied ginger, orange, caramel, and coffee. That's just a hint of the nose. The seamless integration of depth, power, nuance and lyricism always astonishes me, even now. The mouth feel and finish is elegant viscosity and a flavor profile that continues to evolve in the glass. It has length and finish that kicks serious butt. The 1922 Bual by this producer is shoulders above the rest for me. Bottom line, it is ridiculously delicious. It makes my heart sing. (3499 views) | | | Tasted by Jay Hack on 6/2/2007 & rated 94 points: After sorting through recommendations as to how to prepare from Roy Hersh, Francois Audouze, Francois Mauss and Louis D'Oliveira directly from the winery, we settled on a decant two hours prior to drinking. In retrospect, I think those who suggested longer decaqnts were probably right - the alcohol level was a bot too high and more time to blow off might have been nbetter.
Aroma - The sommelier poured 13 glasses in a room next to the private room in the basement of Bottega del Vino. The aroma was so strong that I could easily smell the intense sweet nutty nose in the next room within 30 seconds after he started pouring. I am not a Madeira expert - far from it having had maybe one good glass of madeira in my life, so I can't give you comments on a relative basis, but the aroma was clearly on of the mroe intense wine experience I have ever had. I agreed, with the sommerlier, however, that the ethyl alcohol aroma was very strong. HIs comment was that he was sure that the 19-21% on the bottle was too low, and I woudl not be surprised. The obvious alcohol was the only drawback tot he entire experience.
On the palate - Sugared pecans, walnuts, chocolate and some totally unexpected citrus acid bite. I do not know if the citrus is normal, but I could taste something like it on the sides of my tongue. The wine was medium sweet - nothing like a vintage port in sweetness. No need for insulin but the sugar was there in the background without taking over the wine with cloyness. Very very long finish. I could still taste it minutes after swallowing. This is a wine to savor very slowly. My mother really liked it. (3808 views) | | | Tasted by mdefreitas on 3/10/2007 & rated 93 points: Madeira @ The Caucus Room (Washington DC): Wonderful array of flavors, but this wine suffered by it's (relative youth), being placed in a flight of wines averaging 180-200 years old. The youthful showed, with more fruit flavors relative to it's mates in the flight: orange peel, lime, and raisins. Wonderful balance, intensity, length and youthful drive. VERY GOOD. (5228 views) | | | Tasted by jamiekutch on 3/22/2006 & rated 92 points: Great nose. Sweeter taste than 1912 we had. Delicious long lingering finish. (4493 views) | | | Tasted by psmith on 12/22/2005 & rated 91 points: Dense old coffee, caramel, and limey notes on the nose with some characteristic VA. A strange pine resin note on the palate. Generally balanced - what sugar-free coke syrup might taste like. Falling a bit flat but still quite enjoyable. (4513 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| D'Oliveiras Producer website
D'Oliveiras wines are among the most cherished on the island as they simply have vast stocks of tasty old wines and great innovation. The Rare Wine Co Historic Series (of classic American Madeiras) was accurately well done by D'Oliveiras and the recent Verdelho/Bual blend portends tremendous flavor excitement as these two classics combine into something symphonic.
The 68 and 08 are most rewarding wines. Ricardo must have a near perfect career!ReservaStill Portuguese table wines of designated origin may also be labelled "reserva", indicating an alcohol content of at least 0.5% higher than the legal minimum established by the respective DOC or VR; however, stricter requirements in individual DOCs may supersede this standard.
(Court of Master Sommeliers)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. |
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