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From Madeira to USA: A Madeira Master Class
Astor Center, NYC
Tasted October 13, 2011 by mdefreitas with 524 views
Introduction
Representatives from the major Madeira houses were in New York on October 13th to present samples from their current offerings. In attendance were:
- Bartholomew Broadbent (Justino's)
- Humberto Jardim (Henriques & Henriques)
- Ricardo de Freitas (Vinhos Barbeito)
- Francisco Albuqerque (Madeira Wine Company)
- Mannie Berk (d'Oliveira)
Before the walk around tasting, Francisco Albuqerque (Madeira Wine Company's Oenologist and Wine Director) presented a "master class" on Madeira. A very thorough and informative slide show preceded a sampling from each of the represented portfolios:
Flight 1 (5 notes)
Red - Fortified
1999 Justino's Madeira Tinta Negra Colheita
89 points
Bottled in 2010. Light to medium light caramel in color. The nose is a bit shy, but the palate offers up burnt sugar, vanilla, tea, dried fruits. Quite rich in the mouth with some baking spices in the finish. Good balance with medium length. Some spirit on the back end, but certainly not distracting. Initial impression is that of a soft Madeira, but sneaky acidity creeps up on you. Quite nice.
Red - Fortified
1997 Henriques & Henriques Madeira Tinta Negra Mole Single Harvest Fine Rich Madeira
90 points
Aged in smaller casks (ones that will eventually be sent to Scotland for use in aging scotch). This was very open, lovely fragrant nose. The palate revealed notes of honey, apricots, and dried flowers.Quite rich, with adequate acidity. A bit round and generous; a wine for cheese or dessert.
White - Fortified
1996 Barbeito Madeira Boal Colheita Cask 307 A+E
This comes from a single vineyard in the North Coast of Madeira. Quite light, almost straw in color. Subdued nose; a bit of muskiness. Vanilla, crystalized fruit. This leans toards the fruity side, with apricots, figs and raisins. Excellent acidity. Ricardo de Freitas, who presented this wine, felt it was in an awkward state and needs a few more months in bottle. It did seem a bit jagged. Judgement deferred, but nice potential.
White - Fortified
1994 Blandy's Madeira Malmsey Harvest Colheita
91 points
Bottled in 2009. My second taste of this wine and it continues to impress. Medium caramel in color. Heavier than the other wines in this tasting thus far, but not clumsy. Figs, fruitcake and lively citrus zest. A bit of (an unusual) pine needle wiff which added interest. Nice expansion on the palate with good persistance. For a relative youngster, this shows good authority. There is more of this aging in casks and this will be a wine to follow for future bottlings.
White - Fortified
1912 D'Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho Reserva
94 points
Dark, almost coffee-like in color with a fading orange/rust rim. Wow... You can see the concentration as you swirl this in the glass; quite viscous. Very rich nose of caramel, nuts and autumnal spices. The nose was open for business and I spent quite some time taking in the bouquet before sampling it. There is weight here, but also lift. An orange peel liveliness perks up the palate on the back end. Superb length. A concentrated Verdelho (as D'Oliveira's tend to be) but this was still lively, precise and full of tension. Always a pleasure to taste this.