Madeira @ Equinox

Looking out the window at the snow falling.


Many thanks to Steve Shapiro for inviting me to his annual "Guy's Night Out" dinner. It was a snowy night in DC, perfect weather for drinking Madeira. This was an amazing lineup which contains some favorite Madeiras and some I've never had before. Fortunately there were no mediocre bottles and all wines showed well. My contribution was the 1966 Blandy Sercial which was decanted for about four days. I believe Steve mentioned that all the other Madeiras were decanted for about 10 days.

Chef Todd Gray at Equinox created an amazing menu which complemented the Madeiras quite well. Perhaps the best pairing of Madeira and food that I've experienced.

A starter red wine to try with the Equinox charcuterie plate.

• 1999 Yarra Yering Pinot Noir 90 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

  From magnum. Poor lighting, but this seemed to exhibit a still youthful ruby color. Dusty cherry; nice acidic spine. Perhaps a bit too fruity, but this was food friendly and delicious.

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Creamy porcini chestnut soup.

• 1966 Blandy's Madeira Sercial 91 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  Opened four days in advance. A high quality cork, 1 3/4 inches long... quite good by Madeira standards. This appears to be a recent bottling, as the cork is quite new. Light amber in color. A bit of burnt rubber aroma when first opened, but this mostly blew off. A very piercing nose. Very juicy and rich (for a Sercial). Lemon zest, nuts, creme caramel and dried fruits abound. Medium finish. The balance is quite nice, and this would certainly apeal to those who are perhaps not too partial to Sercial, as it is not that screechy and austere. Quite enjoyable.

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• 1940 H.M. Borges Madeira Verdelho Solera 93 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  A medium dark caramel color. Rich; almost a chocolate and hazelnut type of profile. Hints of smoke in this luscious, palate coating wine. The finish was sublime, complicated by fruitcake, toffee, nutmeg and lime flavors. Good balancing acidity for all this richness. Excellent hang time. This was certainly an overacheiver. Orginally purchased by Steve on 6/12/1999 for $70 (current price $286).

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Silky saffron fettuccini noodles.

• 1929 Barbeito Madeira Verdelho 93 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  Lively, pungent, and mouth-puckering (in a good way). Nose seems a bit subdued. Dominated by citrus and the slightest hint of brown autumnal spices. Falls off slightly in the middle, but a whiplash of flavors return on the finish. Edgey lemon/lime citrus squirt acidity. Ethereal, elegant and bright. I like this quite a bit. A much better showing comapred to the dozen years that have past since the last time I've had this. Originally purchased by Steve on 10/2004 for $155 (current price $254).

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• 1912 D'Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho Reserva 94 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  Wow... this was dark and concentrated; obviously spending a lot of time in cask. Almost cherry cola in color. A delicate floral and burnt sugar nose. The delicate aromas give way to a Sherman-Tank-like attack on the palate... this is no wallflower. Dense, tangy and almost fudgey, but precise and edgy, thanks to its more than adequate acidity. This continued to gain weight with air. For all the richness, dark color and weight, this did not seem heavily torrefacted with molasses or toffee flavors; this had a paradoxically elegant presentation about it. This is a monument to the wonderfully intense Verdelhos produced by D'Oliveira. Originally purchased by Steve for $265 (current price $345).

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Breast of Carolina pheasant with mustard spaetzle.

• 1907 Blandy's Madeira Bual 98 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  Oh... my... goodness... My first time tasting this wine and I hope it won't be my last. Orange zest, nut skin, tea, hints of herbs... incredible complexity and a tendency to adhere to the palate like super glue. Layers of flavors slowly unpeel themselves, with the outter layers never receding, but mingling marvelously with the inner layers. A true tsunami of a wine. Seemingly endless length. My wine of the night -- and considering the legendary 1827 Quinta do Serrado Boal was in the tasting, that says a lot. Originally purchased by Steve for a ridiculous $125 (current price $525).

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• 1827 Quinta do Serrado Madeira Bual 97 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  A spectacular showing for this legendary wine. Cognac, roasted nuts, floral perfume, cloves and nutmeg. An almost painful intensity that assaults the palate and lingers... and lingers. Brown spice flavors haunt the finish. Pungent and intense. The balance is impeccable. Very close to being the wine of the night. Originally purchased by Steve for $265 in 1999 (current price $1276).

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Tres leches cake (lemon verbena ice cream, coconut tapioca, fresh mint).

• 1874 The Wine Society Madeira Malmsey 92 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  A restrained, elegant and "not too sweet" style of Malmsey. A light, ethereal, sandalwood and dried floral perfume (perhaps bottle-aged for a very long time?). Some nut skin, brown spice and hints of eathiness. Very fine acids, good balance, but perhaps lacking a bit in persistance. A slight hint of fudge as the wine sat in the glass. Very nice. Originally purchased by Steve for $525 (current price N/A).

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• 1900 Henriques & Henriques Madeira Malmsey Solera 91 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  Dark, dark, dark... Heavily torrefacted with flavors of treacle, toffee, coffee and chocolate (bitter sweet). Brooding and heavy. Medium length. A bit heavy for my preference, but still a wonderful experience. Originally purchased by Steve for $207 (current price $545).

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• 1906 Madeira Wine Company Madeira Malmsey 92 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  Brown sugar, cinnamin, malt, orange zest. Definitely on the sweet side, but not cloying. Enchanting old wood flavors with a tangy orange creme brulee hint on the finish. Nice cut, but medium length. Originally purchased by Steve for $125 (current price $736).

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Again, an amazing lineup, with no clunkers. The 1907 Blandys Bual was the WOTN for me, just (barely) edging out the 1827 Quinta do Serrado Boal (which was the WOTN for many others).