Double decanted two days before service. Dark shiny brown in color. Upon initial opening, there was searing acidity that masked pretty much everything. After the two days, the wine was cohesive. The acidity had calmed down by about 75%, leaving a great acid backbone. The sugar was coming on to make this a sweeter-than-normal Verdelho from my perspective. The overall package paired really well with the turtle soup I made to go with the wine, the Brennan's recipe that I juiced up a little with Chohula green chili sauce.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bodegas Tradicion et al. (Chicago, IL): On the pop and pour, this is quite attractive already, though there is definitely a bit of stink that should go away if I give this the few days of decanting that it needs. There's a slight herbal note here that gives this a lovely freshness. The sugar profile reminds me of kuromitsu, and the acidity is incredibly high, as expected for verdelho. As typical of the house, the profile is quite dark, and what's surprising to me is how sweet this is for a verdelho. Fantastically delicious, it's always a treat to taste something so old.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Second Sunday Group: Aged Alsatian Riesling Vendange Tardive (Neil's): Double blind, courtesy of MYo. Deep tawny color with notes of raisin, caramel, pear liqueur, citrus and toffee. On the palate, this is rich and unctuous, with flavors of smoky burnt caramel, sweet baked apple, and pear liqueur. For as much sweetness as this has, there's a dryness and balancing acidity. Absolutely glorious. Easy to pick out as a madeira, the question was type and age. Guessed 1940s verdelho.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light brown color. Aromas of figs, orange blossom and roasted nuts. Ripe, intense fruit in the mouth with great depth and length and bracing acidity. Very structured and complex on the palate. Though just opened, a compelling Verdelho that only improve with time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
[Redacted]; 7/10/2015-7/11/2015: This is perhaps one of the richest and darkest verdelhos that I remember ever tasting. There's definitely a bit of the grassy herbaceousness I associate with verdelho on the nose (or is that just confirmation bias?). The amazing thing here is the balancing act between the light citrus tones and the inky darkness of the house style. I have no idea what a spice box is, but this is what I'd imagine one would smell like. This is basically the complete package: deep wood tones, burnt sugar, fresh citrus and grass, spice, and nuts, all harmoniously and polyamourously married together.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for thirteen (13) days and drank over the course of three (3) weeks. Deep amber in color w/orange rim exhibiting intense aromas of orange marmalade, raisin, fig, burnt caramel, molasses, roasted almond and sweet baking spice. Dry, with razor sharp acidity; a tapestry of dried fruit flavors are beautifully interwoven with hints of rich cocoa powder/chocolate. Opulent, velvet textured and focused with enduring salty/sweet finish. Only negative was a slight perception of heat on entry that dissipated quickly and did very little to diminish the overall experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great nose of roasted nuts, chestnuts really, burnished blood orange and macerated tomatoes. A surprisingly balanced palate, with moderate sweetness, extracted lemon oil, petrol, tobacco and orange curd. Not a huge fan of the nose, but a surprisingly elegant palate with dynamic flavor and great balance....excellent!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Taste: Full bodied and very smooth. There is a satiny quality on the palate with layered and deep tones of raisins, caramel, toffee, roasted nuts, and some cherry pits too.
Overall: Points don't begin to describe the experience of this. This is a beautiful wine that needs to be experienced and was a real treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Saturday with David White (Domaine Wine Storage & Sun Wah - Chicago, IL): Nice roasted nut and caramel on the nose - very powerful and room-filling. The palate was energetic and complex. Nice acidity on the finish with good apple, sweet lemon, and great minerality made this an absolute treat to try.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
truly spectacular bottle. This came at the end of a long meal so don't remember everything but this was long, intense and complex. Big without being heavy. Some coffee/toffee. Superb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My first madeira and the oldest thing I have ever tasted. Wow. The bouquet seemed reserved but when I was able to catch a stream of aroma from it just seemed endless. Viscous and mouth-coating but without any heaviness. There was a nice vanilla flavor to it that I really liked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fabulous with classic aged madeira flavors of molasses, balsamic, mocha, pine tar, etc. If a madeira could ever be described as elegant, it is this one. Perfect intensity and only slightly sweet on the long, complex finish. Good right out of the bottle but tastes like it could still improve. A big style for a verdelho.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just incredible with fabulous intense flavors of wood-spice, deep dark honey, marmalade and shellack. Very deep and intense for the Verdelho style and seems perfectly mature tonight. 95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Madeira @ Plumpjack's (San Francisco): Very dark in color; almost like cola. Dark brown/orange rim. Lots of caramel and brown spices. Nice balance with just a hint of VA. Good nuttiness and full of youth and vigor, but lacks the WOW factor for me. Others loved it more than me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Madeira @ The Caucus Room (Washington DC): Much better than my last sample of this wine... I suspect this was decanted longer. Figs, maple, caramel and a fresh, invigorating almost "wintergreen" note that really perked the wine up. Medium length. VERY GOOD.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Madeira @ Triomphe (NYC): Dark caramel in color. Although opinions differed on this wine I found it a bit musky and in need of more aeration. I detected a bit of a “milky” lactic quality to it with a note of figs sprinkled with balsamic. Not a bad wine and a wine with potential, as I saw it improving throughout the night. Tough to rate, but this is clearly at least GOOD.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Madeira Tasting at Pereira d'Oliveira (Funchal): Comparable colour to the Bual 1903; difficult on the nose, alcoholic, hint of meat extract; rich, darker style than the Verdelho 1912, amazing concentration; excellent length, more barley-sugar than the 1912; very impressive but forbidding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Madeira @ Patroon (NYC): Dark coffee-colored wine. Almost opaque. Seemed a bit closed at first, but it really opened up to show some great “darker” flavors, such as coffee, mocha, chocolate, and truffles. A single sip sent intense aromas wafting up into my nostrils. Totally intense experience. I kept a bit of this wine for later in the evening, and it just kept getting better. Outstanding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/7/2023 - UFWS Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted two days before service. Dark shiny brown in color. Upon initial opening, there was searing acidity that masked pretty much everything. After the two days, the wine was cohesive. The acidity had calmed down by about 75%, leaving a great acid backbone. The sugar was coming on to make this a sweeter-than-normal Verdelho from my perspective. The overall package paired really well with the turtle soup I made to go with the wine, the Brennan's recipe that I juiced up a little with Chohula green chili sauce.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2022 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Bodegas Tradicion et al. (Chicago, IL): On the pop and pour, this is quite attractive already, though there is definitely a bit of stink that should go away if I give this the few days of decanting that it needs. There's a slight herbal note here that gives this a lovely freshness. The sugar profile reminds me of kuromitsu, and the acidity is incredibly high, as expected for verdelho. As typical of the house, the profile is quite dark, and what's surprising to me is how sweet this is for a verdelho. Fantastically delicious, it's always a treat to taste something so old.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/24/2018 - AllRed wrote: 96 Points
Second Sunday Group: Aged Alsatian Riesling Vendange Tardive (Neil's): Double blind, courtesy of MYo. Deep tawny color with notes of raisin, caramel, pear liqueur, citrus and toffee. On the palate, this is rich and unctuous, with flavors of smoky burnt caramel, sweet baked apple, and pear liqueur. For as much sweetness as this has, there's a dryness and balancing acidity. Absolutely glorious. Easy to pick out as a madeira, the question was type and age. Guessed 1940s verdelho.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great depth, wonderful spice and good energy on the finish for a verdelho. Consumed over two weeks, and better after opened a couple of days.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/24/2017 - hsacks Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light brown color. Aromas of figs, orange blossom and roasted nuts. Ripe, intense fruit in the mouth with great depth and length and bracing acidity. Very structured and complex on the palate. Though just opened, a compelling Verdelho that only improve with time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2015 - acyso wrote: 98 Points
[Redacted]; 7/10/2015-7/11/2015: This is perhaps one of the richest and darkest verdelhos that I remember ever tasting. There's definitely a bit of the grassy herbaceousness I associate with verdelho on the nose (or is that just confirmation bias?). The amazing thing here is the balancing act between the light citrus tones and the inky darkness of the house style. I have no idea what a spice box is, but this is what I'd imagine one would smell like. This is basically the complete package: deep wood tones, burnt sugar, fresh citrus and grass, spice, and nuts, all harmoniously and polyamourously married together.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2014 - SouthernStateofMind Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for thirteen (13) days and drank over the course of three (3) weeks. Deep amber in color w/orange rim exhibiting intense aromas of orange marmalade, raisin, fig, burnt caramel, molasses, roasted almond and sweet baking spice. Dry, with razor sharp acidity; a tapestry of dried fruit flavors are beautifully interwoven with hints of rich cocoa powder/chocolate. Opulent, velvet textured and focused with enduring salty/sweet finish. Only negative was a slight perception of heat on entry that dissipated quickly and did very little to diminish the overall experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2014 - BradE wrote:
Utterly fantastic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2014 - BradE wrote:
Absolutely stunning. Perfect shape, brilliant from first sip to last. As a side note, Reba McEntire's WOTN.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2013 - Bill Bucklew wrote: 91 Points
Great nose of roasted nuts, chestnuts really, burnished blood orange and macerated tomatoes. A surprisingly balanced palate, with moderate sweetness, extracted lemon oil, petrol, tobacco and orange curd. Not a huge fan of the nose, but a surprisingly elegant palate with dynamic flavor and great balance....excellent!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 95 Points
David White comes to town (Domaine Wine Storage and Sun-Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Nose: This is a beautiful and balanced nose with all sorts of layered tones of leather, raisins, caramel, toffee, and roasted nuts. There is lots of depth and you just get lost in the glass as you smell it.
Taste: Full bodied and very smooth. There is a satiny quality on the palate with layered and deep tones of raisins, caramel, toffee, roasted nuts, and some cherry pits too.
Overall: Points don't begin to describe the experience of this. This is a beautiful wine that needs to be experienced and was a real treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2013 - tooch wrote: 95 Points
Saturday with David White (Domaine Wine Storage & Sun Wah - Chicago, IL): Nice roasted nut and caramel on the nose - very powerful and room-filling. The palate was energetic and complex. Nice acidity on the finish with good apple, sweet lemon, and great minerality made this an absolute treat to try.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2010 - don_quichotte wrote: 96 Points
truly spectacular bottle. This came at the end of a long meal so don't remember everything but this was long, intense and complex. Big without being heavy. Some coffee/toffee. Superb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2009 - Kevin_C wrote:
My first madeira and the oldest thing I have ever tasted. Wow. The bouquet seemed reserved but when I was able to catch a stream of aroma from it just seemed endless. Viscous and mouth-coating but without any heaviness. There was a nice vanilla flavor to it that I really liked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2009 - dream wrote: 95 Points
Fabulous with classic aged madeira flavors of molasses, balsamic, mocha, pine tar, etc. If a madeira could ever be described as elegant, it is this one. Perfect intensity and only slightly sweet on the long, complex finish. Good right out of the bottle but tastes like it could still improve. A big style for a verdelho.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2008 - dream wrote: 95 Points
Just incredible with fabulous intense flavors of wood-spice, deep dark honey, marmalade and shellack. Very deep and intense for the Verdelho style and seems perfectly mature tonight. 95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2008 - BradE wrote:
Spring comes to Minneapolis.: Loved this bottle - slowly becoming addicted to Madeira.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2008 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Madeira @ Plumpjack's (San Francisco): Very dark in color; almost like cola. Dark brown/orange rim. Lots of caramel and brown spices. Nice balance with just a hint of VA. Good nuttiness and full of youth and vigor, but lacks the WOW factor for me. Others loved it more than me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2008 - BradE wrote:
Decanted for 2 days. Simply awesome.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2007 - mdefreitas wrote: 93 Points
Madeira @ The Caucus Room (Washington DC): Much better than my last sample of this wine... I suspect this was decanted longer. Figs, maple, caramel and a fresh, invigorating almost "wintergreen" note that really perked the wine up. Medium length. VERY GOOD.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/20/2007 - mdefreitas wrote: 90 Points
Madeira @ Triomphe (NYC): Dark caramel in color. Although opinions differed on this wine I found it a bit musky and in need of more aeration. I detected a bit of a “milky” lactic quality to it with a note of figs sprinkled with balsamic. Not a bad wine and a wine with potential, as I saw it improving throughout the night. Tough to rate, but this is clearly at least GOOD.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/6/2001 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
A Madeira Tasting at Pereira d'Oliveira (Funchal): Comparable colour to the Bual 1903; difficult on the nose, alcoholic, hint of meat extract; rich, darker style than the Verdelho 1912, amazing concentration; excellent length, more barley-sugar than the 1912; very impressive but forbidding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Madeira @ Patroon (NYC): Dark coffee-colored wine. Almost opaque. Seemed a bit closed at first, but it really opened up to show some great “darker” flavors, such as coffee, mocha, chocolate, and truffles. A single sip sent intense aromas wafting up into my nostrils. Totally intense experience. I kept a bit of this wine for later in the evening, and it just kept getting better. Outstanding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment