A private dinner (Restaurant Blandford Comptoir, London, UK): Bottled 2006. Deep and concentrated but more transparent than the Bual 1907 that preceded it, flowers and fresh oak, white almond, medium dry, orange, with hints of vanilla and nuts, slightly austere on the palate but much less so than 10 years ago when I first tasted it, but it still remains slightly terse and hard.
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Light brown color. Good stone fruit and slightly sweeter flavors. Some almond and citrus peel as well. An earthier style than other types of madeiras, and seems like you can see the Trousseau in it. But perhaps I am imagining that. Smooth, piquant, well balanced. Not as intense as other madeiras, but in a way almost refreshing!
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Drinking a glass of this years ago at Coi in San Francisco really got me intrigued with Madeira. The bottle I finished recently was very similar to that glass. It was consumed periodically over a year while being recorked and stored at 58F.
As other tasters have noted, it has some similarities with a sercial-- the sweetness level and the acidity. There seemed to be more of a woody, earthy, exotic spice element than most sercials and verdelhos in memory, though the differences are subtle. Lots of maple toasted almonds. The cooked apricot and dried blood orange rind, along with the acidity provide some freshness. A lot of interest in this bottle, but it doesn't have that ethereal quality of the 1926 Barbeito verdelho I had earlier this year.
Shows best after a few minutes in the glass to settle down. It should easily age decades longer.
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Quick taste. Very deep and mellow nose with mild volatility. Super-rich, very well balanced, concentrated, fine acidity. Coffee, lemon. Very long. Very impressive!
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(D'Oliveiras Madeira Bastardo Reserva) Light tawny brown color; soft, intriguing maple syrup, pecan, vanilla extract, brown sugar and lemon tea nose; soft, plush texture but surprisingly tight and angular palate that lacks the complexity suggested by the nose, with tawny acid, a notion of balsamic vinegar and a sense of wood; medium-plus finish (Bastardo is a red grape)
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9/18/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
A private dinner (Restaurant Blandford Comptoir, London, UK): Bottled 2006. Deep and concentrated but more transparent than the Bual 1907 that preceded it, flowers and fresh oak, white almond, medium dry, orange, with hints of vanilla and nuts, slightly austere on the palate but much less so than 10 years ago when I first tasted it, but it still remains slightly terse and hard.
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4/10/2016 - acidqueen wrote: 93 Points
Light brown color. Good stone fruit and slightly sweeter flavors. Some almond and citrus peel as well. An earthier style than other types of madeiras, and seems like you can see the Trousseau in it. But perhaps I am imagining that. Smooth, piquant, well balanced. Not as intense as other madeiras, but in a way almost refreshing!
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9/11/2014 - DarinC Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking a glass of this years ago at Coi in San Francisco really got me intrigued with Madeira. The bottle I finished recently was very similar to that glass. It was consumed periodically over a year while being recorked and stored at 58F.
As other tasters have noted, it has some similarities with a sercial-- the sweetness level and the acidity. There seemed to be more of a woody, earthy, exotic spice element than most sercials and verdelhos in memory, though the differences are subtle. Lots of maple toasted almonds. The cooked apricot and dried blood orange rind, along with the acidity provide some freshness. A lot of interest in this bottle, but it doesn't have that ethereal quality of the 1926 Barbeito verdelho I had earlier this year.
Shows best after a few minutes in the glass to settle down. It should easily age decades longer.
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1/10/2014 - igaf wrote:
Quick taste. Very deep and mellow nose with mild volatility. Super-rich, very well balanced, concentrated, fine acidity. Coffee, lemon. Very long. Very impressive!
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12/27/2012 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A stunning Madeira that is still young but shows wonderfully now with great richness and complexity.
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