NYC
Tasted Wednesday, October 6, 1999 by mdefreitas with 1,097 views
I attended a Madeira tasting in NYC put together by the Rare Wine Company. It was held at a Restaurant called Patroon (the food was excellent… especially the walnut/truffle soup). The atmosphere was a little “stuffy” at first, with a lot of people who seemed a little too “prim and proper”… well, OK, I’ll say it… a lot of snobs. I can’t tell you how many times I heard “I was at a Tasting with Robert Parker and…”. But as the night wore on, people loosened up a bit (the power of wine?).
Unfortunately, I was recovering from a bit of a cold, so my senses were certainly not at their peak, but even with a stuffed up nose, I could smell the intoxicating aromas of these wines as they were being opened from the other room. I was starting to salivate.
Overall, the quality level of these wines were quite high and any criticism I make is probably just nit-picking. On to the wines.
1937 D'Oliveiras Madeira Sercial Reserva 93 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Light brown/tan in color. Somewhat fruity for a Madeira, with orange and lime flavors. Tangy molasses-like finish… an incredibly long finish. Super, super, zingy acidity. Perhaps too much for some, but I loved it. Excellent.
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1862 D'Oliveiras Madeira Sercial Reserva 86 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Light tawny brown, but with a hint of green on the rim. The added age on this wine gave it a more complex flavor profile, with walnuts and truffles added to the mix. Slightly less acidity than the previous wine. Intense on the palate, but the finish was a bit awkward. A bit too smokey, oaky and astringent. Despite the fact that Madeira can spend decades (even centuries) in oak, I normally don’t get any woody flavors (it manifests itself more as caramel, coffee, and molasses). But this wine was a bit of an exception. Good.
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1929 Barbeito Madeira Verdelho 89 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Dark caramel brown, with an orange rim. A bit of a muted nose at first, but it eventually came around. A delicate, caramel and coffee flavored wine, with a chewy, tangy finish. Very Good.
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1905 D'Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho Reserva 94 Points
Portugal, Madeira
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.
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1922 D'Oliveiras Madeira Boal Reserva 95 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Another dark, almost opaque wine, with a slight orange rim. Delicate nose of caramel candy and crème brulee. Lip pursing acidity that forces you to make a funny face as you taste it. Intense and flavorful. Sweet, but tons of acidity to back it up. Outstanding.
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1863 Barbeito Madeira Boal 89 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Dark caramel color, but not quite opaque. A complex wine, with much more “evolved” earth aromas. Truffles, earth, minerals, coffee, molasses, and other “things” I couldn’t quite name. The downside is the lack of acidity, which made it slightly cloying (or maybe I was spoiled by the acidity in the previous wines). Very Good.
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1827 Quinta do Serrado Madeira Bual 93 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Rare Wine Company Madeira Dinner @ Patroon. Very light brown. A delicate wine, with nutmeg and other autumn spices in the nose. Chocolate and caramel hints. A wine of lovely balance, and a whiplash finish that goes away and then comes back in waves. A wonderful wine that lacks only intensity, but that’s not so bad when it has this kind of balance. Excellent.
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1957 D'Oliveiras Madeira Tinta Negra Medium Sweet 86 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Rare Wine Company's Madeira dinner at Patroon. Not made from the “noble” varieties. It is made from a red grape called Tinta Negra Mole, which can be made in the various styles of the other noble grape varieties. This wine was light brown in color. Not as complex or explosive as the other wines, but a very good, sweet, luscious, caramel flavored wine. Good.
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1920 Barbeito Madeira Malvazia Favilla Vieira 91 Points
Portugal, Madeira
A medium honey-brown color, with no lightening on the rim. Sweet molasses and chocolate, with a slighly “brown spice” finish. The first Malvasia tasted at this tasting, and you can feel the step up in sweetness. Totally coats the mouth, and gets to those “hard to reach places” on the palate. Excellent.
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1875 Barbeito Madeira Malvazia 94 Points
Portugal, Madeira
(Rare Wine Company Madeira Tasting @ Patroon, NYC) Medium honey brown color. Orange zest and coffee on the nose. Sweet and luscious, but good “citrus squirt” acidity to keep it from being cloying. Delicate for a Malvasia, with a beautiful finish. Excellent
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1834 Barbeito Madeira Malvazia 98 Points
Portugal, Madeira
(Rare Wine Company Madeira Tasting @ Patroon, NYC) Very dark chocolate color. One of the wines of the night for me. Thick, sweet, and explosive on the palate. Super long and super rich on the palate. A whirlwind of flavors that are hard to describe. A wine to drink in small sips… and I did, for I wanted it to last forever. How does one make something so rich and decadent? Profound.
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1802 Oscar Acciaioly Madeira Terrantez Special Reserve 99 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Dark, opaque coffee color. Biggest nose of the tasting. Another super-rich wine. They seem to be putting all the big guns at the end of the tasting. Almost too intense to smell. Truckloads of rich “brown” flavors… nutmeg, chocolate, coffee, caramel, truffles, sherry, etc. A wine so unctuous, that it’s almost hard to swallow it all. After several minutes, I could slurp my tongue between my gums and lips… and I could still taste the wine. A totally shocking wine experience. A WOW wine if there ever was one.
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1900 D'Oliveiras Madeira Moscatel Reserva 95 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Yet another big, intense wine, with a killer nose that goes straight to the pleasure zone of the brain. A bit sweeter than the previous wine, but as usual, the acidity is there in spades to balance things out. An unctuous, rich, wine with a seemingly endless and ethereal finish. I’m running out of descriptors… this is damn good stuff. Outstanding.
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