Bottled in 1871. This generous contribution from Roy still had the original wrapping paper which proudly proclaimed “Selected by General Sherman on his visit at Madeira, 1871”. Mannie remarked on the irony, as General Sherman was responsible to the destruction of vast quantities of Madeira during his “scorched earth” Civil War campaign. The wine was decanted for five days. The bottle was flushed with hot water before the wine was poured back in, but unfortunately the returning wine removed a bit of sediment that remained clinging to the side of the bottle. The color was a very light tan, with a hint of green on the rim. It was surmised that this wine saw little time in barrel (20 years?). The aromas soared with floral and citrus elements. I detected a bit of a spirity note, but in a good way… almost like a fine single malt scotch. The acidity was searing but not overly austere. Flavors of tea leaves and orange zest lingered on the grippy finish. Although the label identified no varietal, most seemed to feel it was Verdelho. VERY GOOD.

Light tan in color with fresh tobacco leaf aromas. A bit of a medicinal note detracted. A nice, soft palate entry with a slight spirity note. Pipe tobacco elements lingered on the finish. A bit “pillowy” for a Sercial, but quite enjoyable. GOOD.

Darker caramel color. First hint of “browner” flavor: molasses, caramel and brown sugar. A bit of a “sweaty” aroma which eventually blew off. An herbal note was detected on the mid-palate with lovely walnut and nut-skin notes that haunted the finish. VERY GOOD.

This wine ushered in a huge jump in impact and intensity. The nose exhibited an extremely extroverted mixture of butterscotch, molasses and orange skin – a wine that could satisfy me by smell alone. Lovely dried fruits and spicecake flavors swirled on the palate; laser-like acidity remained in perfect balance with the sweetness. Clearly the wine of the flight for me. From what I understand, this was the wine served at the wedding of Ricardo deFreitas’ mother (Ricardo is the managing director at Barbeito and the grandson of the founder). OUTSTANDING.

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.

The second flight came out with both guns blazing! The wine sported a rich mahogany core with slightly tan rim. A firework of scents assaults the taster: brown sugar, cloves, anise, figs, honey. Lusciously mouth-coating, with the wine invading all those hard to reach places on the palate. A seemingly endless and ever-changing finish that lingers with a soothing warmth. Forget about a great mouth-feel… I experienced a great esophagus-feel as the wine slowly entered my digestive system. OUTSTANDING.

A wine that I found somewhat similar to the 1903 Bual that came before it, although the color was slightly darker. Echo everything I said about the 1903: brown sugar, cloves, anise, figs, honey and then add some darker tastes: coffee/expresso/chocolate. I kept going back and forth between these two wines as flight favorites: the 1903 had more lift… but the 1908 had more depth. Life should be filled with making such choices! OUTSTANDING.

This wine suffered somewhat from its positioning, being a bit drier than the preceding Buals. Interesting scents of cedar, earl grey tea, nut-skin and some leafy-like aromas. A real pit bull of a grip and that beautiful bitterness that I often associate with Terrantez. Although exhibiting a nice array of flavors, the palate impact paled in comparison to the previous Buals. VERY GOOD.

The “Welsh Brothers” name is today used by the Madeira Wine Company as a brand name for marketing purposes (the real “Welsh Brothers” went out of business long ago and were absorbed under the MWC umbrella). The capsule was branded with “MWC”, but the bottle had the letters: “AO-SM” stenciled on it, implying this might have been a D’Oliveira wine… interesting... Anyway, I suspect this wine had been in bottle for quite some time -- I purchased it at least 10 years ago and the cork almost disintegrated as I pulled it out. Conventional wisdom is to decant Madeira longer if it’s been in the bottle longer and I truly feel the 24 hours I gave it was just not sufficient. I detected the same “milky” lactic quality I got from the last wine in the previous flight. I also sensed a hint of burnt rubber and vitamin pill. There were some nice dried fruit, spice and brown sugar flavors struggling to dominate but I suspect it just needed more air. Improving throughout the night, I did notice that it seemed a bit sweeter than your typical Terrantez. There is potential here. GOOD.

A number of people in attendance mentioned having this wine several times before, and like them, I agreed that this was one of the best showings for this particular bottling. I will also mention that the gentleman contributing this bottle had vigorously and aggressively decanted it, periodically pouring it back and forth between two different decanters. This is always such a solid wine… dark caramel color with a light greenish tinge on the edge. Lovely aromas of prune, crème brulee, fig and walnut. Lovely intensity, vibrancy and balance. For me, this is textbook Malvasia. VERY (VERY) GOOD+.

A lighter, elegant style of Malvasia with an interesting spearmint/pine vein that weaves it way between the dried apricot and nut-skin flavors. A bit atypical but very enjoyable. GOOD.

Very dark in color, the darkest in the entire tasting. Very masculine and forceful, knocking down everything in its path. Chock full of raisins, molasses, orange zest and walnuts. On the sweeter side of the Malvasia spectrum and perhaps a bit of a brute for those looking for more elegance. Overall, I preferred the 1834 Barbeito Malvasia, as it struck a nice middle ground between the elegance of the 1862 Blandy’s Malvasia and the power of this wine. VERY GOOD.

Another more elegant style of Malvasia. A slight medicinal herbal note that seasons the dried citrus fruits flavors. Soft acids and a pillowy mouthfeel. GOOD.

Once again, for me, the last wine in the flight seemed to be suffering from bottle sickness. That musky nose made it difficult for me to evaluate and again, it did get better with time in the glass. At the very least, this wine is GOOD.

Gorgeous example of an aged Rheingau. Honey, pineable, apricots and a underpinning of earthy minerals. Very fresh and young with nicely resolved sweetness. Ethereal finish.

Beautiful cassis and earth nose. A stern rockiness to the fruit that just makes your lips smack and smile. A bit stern on the palate, but I think this wine was decanted too long. Absolutely stunning wine that I wish California would make more of.