November 14, 2022 - Medium sweet characters with flavours of burnt bitter orange marmalade, roasted nuts and coffee. Saline and mineral with super acidity, an extraordinary bitter sweet character and a never-ending finish. Very impressive. 93pts
July 3, 2021 - Burnt sugar, burnt toast, rum, eucalyptus, cardamon, pear on the nose, and so much alcohol. It smells far more alcoholic than it is (it is 19%). It is the same in the mouth, with more almond and honey cake notes, but the alcohol overwhelms a bit. I think with food (fruit cake, hard cheeses, dried fruits it would be more approachable.
March 2, 2021 - Great intensity of aromas. Old leather, spices, orange peel, preserved citrus, coffee, dust, vanilla. Full bodied with flavors consistant with the aromas. There is a nice bitterness throughout this wine on the palate. Also, a very balanced sweetness level. I rank it as medium sweet; but you could go medium dry I suppose. Pair with any sweet dessert, but good just by itself too.
June 19, 2020 - Medium brown in color and you can tell from the legs it has significant viscosity. Dried figs, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, buttered brown sugar, orange marmalade, toasted walnut, banana, and a hint of alcohol on the nose. Heavy sweetness, golden raisin, golden delicious apple, burnt caramel and a touch of coffee on the palate. Thick luscious mouthfeel but the amount of sugar in this means that isn’t a surprise in the least, luckily there is a nice acidity that pushes back the sweetness to keep it from being overwhelming. Hoisin sauce, nuttiness, and once the sweetness has faded enough a hint of a tannic bite on the finish.
May 17, 2020 - Bright brown-gold, with a nose of sweet pipe tobacco and marmalade. Beautifully balanced - bright acidity against sweetness, with flavours of nuts, spice and candied orange.
November 9, 2019 - Winebar [1 Rosé, 4 Whites, 9 Reds, & 5 *shared* bottles] from 11/8/19 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Danny, THANK you for sharing this gem -- 'fore it (at least temporarily) was sold out!
"Blandy's 10 yr old Bual undergoes pelicular maceration followed by fermentation with natural yeast @ temps of 18°C - 21°C in temp controlled tanks. After approximately 3 days, fortification with vinic alcohol takes place, arresting fermentation at the desired degree of sweetness.
"Blandy’s 10 yr old Bual a blend of wines with an ave of 10 yrs in seasoned AM oak casks. The wines were aged at the family’s Lodge in Funchal in the traditional ‘Canteiro’ system, whereby the wine is gradually transferred from the higher floors where the temps are higher, to the middle floors, & eventually to the ground floor where temps are cooler. The process of transferring the barrels is absolutely critical to ensure the right balance of ullage & concentration. All through the ageing process, the primary fruit flavours of the wine are gently transformed into tertiary dried fruit notes that produce unique Madeira hallmark bouquet.
"This wine was regularly racked during this ageing process & was fined before bottling [apparently in 2016]. 19% ABV, 100 g/l R.S., 7 g/l T.A., & 3.4 Baumé;"
Once again, 1n a small tasting glass for ≈5 hrs before I got to it. Also, my TN for today's bottle is SUBSTANTIALLY the same as on 10/26/2019. In short, this is a MARVELOUS sipping/desert wine for the price! Once again, My EXC; 17.5/20 Jancis Robinson (Harding, 9/26/17). [This vendor's $23.95/500 ml is $4 < wine-searcher's lowest.]
October 26, 2019 - Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whites, 8 Reds, & 8 *shared* bottles] from 10/25/19 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): THANK you for this addt'l expansion of my fortified wine "horizons", Dr. Tom! :)
"Blandy's 10 yr old Bual undergoes pelicular maceration followed by fermentation with natural yeast @ temps of 18°C - 21°C in temp controlled tanks. After approximately 3 days, fortification with vinic alcohol takes place, arresting fermentation at the desired degree of sweetness.
"Blandy’s 10 yr old Bual a blend of wines with an ave of 10 yrs in seasoned AM oak casks. The wines were aged at the family’s Lodge in Funchal in the traditional ‘Canteiro’ system, whereby the wine is gradually transferred from the higher floors where the temps are higher, to the middle floors, & eventually to the ground floor where temps are cooler. The process of transferring the barrels is absolutely critical to ensure the right balance of ullage & concentration. All through the ageing process, the primary fruit flavours of the wine are gently transformed into tertiary dried fruit notes that produce unique Madeira hallmark bouquet.
"This wine was regularly racked during this ageing process & was fined before bottling [apparently in 2016]. 19% ABV, 100 g/l R.S., 7 g/l T.A., & 3.4 Baumé;"
Note: In a small tasting glass for ≈5 hrs before tasting for this TN!
N: ATTRACTIVE, nutty, spicy, with hints of orange peel?
P: LM, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt balanced by an acidity which BEAUTIFULLY balances into the LONG, attractive tangy/swt finish. My EXC; 17.5/20 Jancis Robinson (Harding, 9/26/17). [This vendor's $23.95 is $4 < wine-searcher's lowest.]
May 11, 2019 - A bottle bought in the Lisbon airport last year, i.e. probably a newer bottling (Lot no: L18092) than the ones previously tasted. This one seemed had a lot more of the smoky, austerely wooden nose of a vintage Madeira (e.g. the 1968 Blandy Bual) than my previous bottles, and less of the attractive fragrance of dried fruits.
A week later, it shows some of the golden fruit of previous bottles but also still this vintage character of something like black dust. Good stuff anyway.
November 25, 2018 - Very impressive showing. Apricot, dried currant, and fig aromas are followed by scents of caramel, molasses, and spices. The palate shows tremendous tension, where juicy acidity balances sweetness, and a tangy, tensile intensity drives the tamarind, apricot, plum, and butterscotch flavors. Finishes succulent, shapely, and so tasty.
October 19, 2018 - Small tasting glass @ VINEUM during service, so a brief note. This is a step up from the 5 years Old Alvada, especially the acidity makes for a better balance. A sipping wine...