June 10, 2023 - Short note - dried figs, dark caramell, lemon peel, milk chocolate, orange, dried plums, mushrooms like shitake, long finish, medium sweet, high acidity, medium finish, high concentration, well balanced, outstanding quality, 93p
April 15, 2016 - Weekend with Eddie - Part 1 (Marea, New York City): Intense nose displaying dry figs, molasses, a hint of turpentine, cedar and balsamico. Excellent concentration, very sweet dry fruit driven palate impression, piecing acidity gives the wine excellent precision and energy, and incredibly long finish. This will last forever.
November 20, 2015 - Wonderfully expressive with bitter orange, caramelized brown sugar, nutmeg, persimmon, ginger, molasses, old sawdust, hints of walnut and pecan. Very long finish.
August 31, 2014 - funky pvc plastic nose.
December 13, 2013 - Domaine Wine Storage Holiday Party (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): Has aromas of mineral, plum, and molasses. Loved its layers of fruit, earth, and stone and thought it was still showing very young (despite being open for 2 days). Big thanks to Tim for opening this...hopefully I'll get to try another one of these in the future.
December 12, 2013 - Domaine End of Year Party (Chicago, IL): A surprising tinge of green on the nose. Extremely intense, as if you boiled down a 100-year-old madeira (I suppose, in a very strange way, that is what this is). The palate is extremely rich with lots of caramel and rancio notes. Awesome.
October 10, 2013 - The Matriarch of Madeira, A Tribute to Dona Manuela Barbeito (Bar Boulud, NYC): Compared to the 1887 Malvasia, this was more of what I typically expect from Malvasia: weighty, sweet, tangy, concentrated and dessert-like, but with adequate structure to maintain freshness. Dark cocoa, butterscotch, and caramel flavors intermingle with zippy tropical notes. A superb wine and a rare treat, but I should have had this before the 1887 Malvasia, as I kept think about the brilliant detail that wine possessed.
March 7, 2013 - I've been sitting on a bottle of this for 6 years, and I figured the 10th anniversary of my inaugural tasting note on CellarTracker was the perfect time to crack this baby and steal a couple of ounces.
Wow, wow, wow! I've had this a couple of times, and it was stunning before. This bottle though is on a whole different level. Deep and brothy on the nose with that funky, beefy, caramelized onion thing I find in Madeira. The palate though, oh the palate. So thick and intense, rich, caramel and beef and onion, but then there is this explosion of lime and salt and acid. It's stunning for a wine to carry such richness and length while still showing such unreal acidity. I really need to drink more Madeira, as it is so uniquely fresh and intense.
I really look forward to following this bottle for a long time to come.
December 5, 2010 - This is an amazing wine, bottled in 2005. The color is dark brown, concealing the destinctive green rim of Madeira. The nose of toffee literally filled the toom with a sweet smell of candy. The wine does not come across sweet at all, yet the palate is loaded with caramel and toffee notes. The wine would pair well with a number of savory dishes, but the best would be high fat cheeses. This bottle was served with both a double cream and a triple cream and the fat balanced the high acid of the wine perfectly.
March 14, 2010 - Madeira @ The Modern: Homage to Mario Barbeito (NYC): Bottled approx in 1995. Sourced from Campanario. Another dark colored Madeira with a distinct greenish rim. Loads of sultana raisins and brown sugar and spice. Luscious and complex and it kept getting better with air. This really coated and warmed the palate in a soothing manner.