Nice raisin and rancio aromas and flavors, along with a fair amount of sugar, though there is enough acidity to keep it from being unbalanced. A good example of 10 year old bual, but not particularly complex.
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Expected Boal to be sweeter but a good Madeira for the price. Can feel the 10 year setting in and of course it would have been better if it sat for 20 but that would have tripped the price. Looking for sweeter expression so it was a good learning experience for everyone.
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The nose is all there with sweet Christmas spice, rum soaked raisins, and a deeply felt acidic core with a body that is not as sweet as I remember it. Contemplative and enjoyable at the same time.
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Notas de café, alcanfor y caoba tostada. Glicérico y alcohólico en boca con una buena densidad y una escasa longitud. Tiene bastante mejores ejemplos esta bodega.
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From 75cl, enjoyed over a period of 4 weeks, no change during this time. I find this quite a lot less enjoyable than H&H's 15 YO Bual: a bit thin, lacking the power or the sheer concentration balanced by zingy acidity of the older wine. 88P
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Good stuff but also quite forward with lots of toffee, burnt caramel, Christmas spice, coffee, and lots of sweetness and organge acidity. If you want to be critical it's a bit clumsy, and the sweetness dominates the palate, but you can't complain about intensity and acidity. I think this is more something you drink a little of together with a rich Christmas pudding, rather than something you empty a bottle of together with some pecans.
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Very sweet with fig and raisin notes. I can’t explain it, but the sugar seemed to recede a bit after this was open a month or so, making the last few glasses the most enjoyable.
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Medium amber; expressive nose of nuts, raisins and something citrusy in an oxidative frame. The palate starts in a savoury mode with salty nuts, unripe green fruits, clear oxidative notes which as you progress gains sweetness through the emergence of honey/caramel flavours, even chestnut liquer lifted by the acidity with a medium finish. Not my style but drinks nicely.
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Overwhelmingly syrup of figs and almonds, with caramel. Good, zippy acidity makes it incredibly light on it's feet, moreish and dangerously easy to drink!
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A private lunch (Restaurant Agata's *, Düsseldorf, Germany): Amber golden colour; lovely nose, nuts and candied fruit, caramel and honey, flowers, good depth; intense palate, concentrated, medium sweet, tangy acidity, orange peel and honey flavours; good length. Delicious.
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treacle, tea, varnish, slightly burnt caramel, almost a smokey note; wonderfully balanced, delicious, a perfect combo of sweetness and acid, good length too
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WSET Level 3 Session 5 (WSET): My first time trying a Madeira. Appearance is clear, medium intensity, amber tea-colour. Legs. Aromas of caramel, raisins, toffee, and Christmas cake. Very balanced on the palate, with a better mouth-feel than Tawny Port. Rich flavours of smoked almond nuts, caramel, raisins, toffee, and Christmas cake.
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Aiolos Tasting: (Aiolos tasting) My first madeira... Light honey color. Nice honey-ed nose, slightly acidic, liquer, over-ripe white fleshed (but undefined) fruit, hints of oak. In the mouth its much more aggressive, high acidity over layers of honey, liquer mandarine, ripe peach, lacks body, ends with a short oaky aftertaste. I can't say if I like it or not
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Golden brown. Beautiful bouquet with coffee liquor, toffee and some orange. Same on the palate, some chocolate as well. Beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity where the latter dominates a bit which is nice and adds to the experience. Beautiful wine.
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Currants, caramel, nuts, sherry and oranges in the bouquet. Same on the palate together with beautiful sweetness and acidity. Round and creamy and very soft. A delicious wine.
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Color : med depth, amber, clear. Nose : aromatic, aromas of salty toasted pecans, cashews, raisins. Palate : med sweet, full-body, fresh/smooth acidity, good balance, powerful flavor intensity. Aromas similar to nose. Long finish.
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Ongoing quest for good partner for chocolate. This was served alongside a strong but not-too-sweet chocolate and espresso torte with an aromatic ice-cream.
Worked well. Not too sweet and fairly balanced - a little acidic. Nice richness to the flavour which was slighly nutty but not at all overpowering.
This stood up pretty well with the torte. I'm not sure that I would drink it as a dessert wine per se - the vintage port that followed knocked it into a cocked hat - but as a chocolate accompaniement I will definitely revisit it.
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Intense, glowing orange/amber tawny and a hint of green in the meniscus; deep and layered nose, caramel and smoked almonds, sweet apricot fruit; medium dry (not very sweet for Bual in fact), velvety, wonderful tangy acidity, excellent balance, juicy fruit, flavoursome and concentrated, more traditional than MWC, less baked than Justino Henriques, complex nuttiness; magnificent length.
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12/19/2023 - NateR Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice raisin and rancio aromas and flavors, along with a fair amount of sugar, though there is enough acidity to keep it from being unbalanced. A good example of 10 year old bual, but not particularly complex.
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7/7/2023 - Mandamus Likes this wine: 82 Points
Very nice; quite sweet, with moderate complexity and a short–moderate finish. (Only tasted a very small amount, with excellent company.)
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11/25/2021 - chanukha Likes this wine: 91 Points
Expected Boal to be sweeter but a good Madeira for the price. Can feel the 10 year setting in and of course it would have been better if it sat for 20 but that would have tripped the price. Looking for sweeter expression so it was a good learning experience for everyone.
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11/14/2020 - Omar Khayyam Likes this wine: 91 Points
The nose is all there with sweet Christmas spice, rum soaked raisins, and a deeply felt acidic core with a body that is not as sweet as I remember it. Contemplative and enjoyable at the same time.
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7/17/2020 - Harley1199 wrote:
Finally One Event By The Sea; 7/15/2020-7/19/2020 (Alicante - España): Notes of coffee bean, camphor and roasted mahogany. Glyceric and alcoholic in the mouth with a good density and a short length. This winery has much better samples.
Notas de café, alcanfor y caoba tostada. Glicérico y alcohólico en boca con una buena densidad y una escasa longitud.
Tiene bastante mejores ejemplos esta bodega.
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5/25/2020 - honest bob wrote: 88 Points
From 75cl, enjoyed over a period of 4 weeks, no change during this time. I find this quite a lot less enjoyable than H&H's 15 YO Bual: a bit thin, lacking the power or the sheer concentration balanced by zingy acidity of the older wine. 88P
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11/18/2019 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 90 Points
Good stuff but also quite forward with lots of toffee, burnt caramel, Christmas spice, coffee, and lots of sweetness and organge acidity. If you want to be critical it's a bit clumsy, and the sweetness dominates the palate, but you can't complain about intensity and acidity. I think this is more something you drink a little of together with a rich Christmas pudding, rather than something you empty a bottle of together with some pecans.
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11/10/2018 - Enfant sauvage wrote:
Very sweet with fig and raisin notes. I can’t explain it, but the sugar seemed to recede a bit after this was open a month or so, making the last few glasses the most enjoyable.
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10/7/2018 - Yorgos wrote: 91 Points
Medium amber; expressive nose of nuts, raisins and something citrusy in an oxidative frame. The palate starts in a savoury mode with salty nuts, unripe green fruits, clear oxidative notes which as you progress gains sweetness through the emergence of honey/caramel flavours, even chestnut liquer lifted by the acidity with a medium finish. Not my style but drinks nicely.
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8/8/2017 - Tannatastic Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really lovely stuff.
Overwhelmingly syrup of figs and almonds, with caramel. Good, zippy acidity makes it incredibly light on it's feet, moreish and dangerously easy to drink!
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10/30/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
A private lunch (Restaurant Agata's *, Düsseldorf, Germany): Amber golden colour; lovely nose, nuts and candied fruit, caramel and honey, flowers, good depth; intense palate, concentrated, medium sweet, tangy acidity, orange peel and honey flavours; good length. Delicious.
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9/15/2014 - Bearbus wrote:
treacle, tea, varnish, slightly burnt caramel, almost a smokey note; wonderfully balanced, delicious, a perfect combo of sweetness and acid, good length too
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8/16/2014 - Derek Darth Taster wrote:
WSET Level 3 Session 5 (WSET): My first time trying a Madeira.
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, amber tea-colour. Legs.
Aromas of caramel, raisins, toffee, and Christmas cake.
Very balanced on the palate, with a better mouth-feel than Tawny Port. Rich flavours of smoked almond nuts, caramel, raisins, toffee, and Christmas cake.
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5/3/2014 - AlexGarner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Island Life Tasting (Prince Wine Store - Bank Street): Caramel and sea spray on the nose with a silky palette that still has an acidic bite.
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10/14/2012 - kostaslonis wrote: 83 Points
Aiolos Tasting: (Aiolos tasting) My first madeira... Light honey color. Nice honey-ed nose, slightly acidic, liquer, over-ripe white fleshed (but undefined) fruit, hints of oak.
In the mouth its much more aggressive, high acidity over layers of honey, liquer mandarine, ripe peach, lacks body, ends with a short oaky aftertaste.
I can't say if I like it or not
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9/6/2012 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Golden brown. Beautiful bouquet with coffee liquor, toffee and some orange. Same on the palate, some chocolate as well. Beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity where the latter dominates a bit which is nice and adds to the experience. Beautiful wine.
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7/21/2012 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Currants, caramel, nuts, sherry and oranges in the bouquet. Same on the palate together with beautiful sweetness and acidity. Round and creamy and very soft. A delicious wine.
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10/3/2011 - FraParisNYC Likes this wine: 85 Points
Color : med depth, amber, clear.
Nose : aromatic, aromas of salty toasted pecans, cashews, raisins.
Palate : med sweet, full-body, fresh/smooth acidity, good balance, powerful flavor intensity. Aromas similar to nose. Long finish.
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1/17/2009 - mark_m_owen wrote: 86 Points
Ongoing quest for good partner for chocolate. This was served alongside a strong but not-too-sweet chocolate and espresso torte with an aromatic ice-cream.
Worked well. Not too sweet and fairly balanced - a little acidic. Nice richness to the flavour which was slighly nutty but not at all overpowering.
This stood up pretty well with the torte. I'm not sure that I would drink it as a dessert wine per se - the vintage port that followed knocked it into a cocked hat - but as a chocolate accompaniement I will definitely revisit it.
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2/3/2008 - Juha wrote:
Tawny colour. On the palate this is quite rich and luscious, with a great creaminess to the texture.
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10/2/2001 - Double-A Likes this wine: 88 Points
Roasted almonds, caramel, smoke, figs and raisin nose. Medium-dry, full and hot palate; drying, nutty finish. Very good length.
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6/20/2001 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
Intense, glowing orange/amber tawny and a hint of green in the meniscus; deep and layered nose, caramel and smoked almonds, sweet apricot fruit; medium dry (not very sweet for Bual in fact), velvety, wonderful tangy acidity, excellent balance, juicy fruit, flavoursome and concentrated, more traditional than MWC, less baked than Justino Henriques, complex nuttiness; magnificent length.
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