It was interesting to taste the same wine twice at a tasting -- but with almost a decade of difference in bottling date. This more-recent bottling was (too be expected) darker... but the great degree in difference was surprising... very much darker! I suspect the older bottling probably was put in demijohn and thus had considerably more "glass-time" than one would guess from the bottling date. This recent bottling had a somewhat subdued nose; sappy and rich on the palate for a Sercial. A bit soft on the acids. Considerable VA. Nice "training-wheels" Sercial. GOOD.

This was poured blind. Bottled in 1996, it was in the same flight as the same wine bottled in 2004. This wine showed much better. It was lighter in color than it's sibling, with a greenish tinge on the rim. Piercing, lifted, slightly wintergreen nose. Superb in the mouth, with palate-drenching intensity. Mouth-watering citrus and congac. Sweet old-wood scents, butterscotch and some slight bottle stink. EXCELLENT.

Light whiskey in color. Some of the most lovely, ethereal and unique aromas I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing on a Madeira. My first taste of a Madeira that was seasoned on a ship (which in this case was named the "Comet"). Such a sweet bottle bouquet of sandalwood, vanilla, flowers, cedar, cloves, cardamom, grandma's house (camphor?), the list goes on. The sign of a GREAT Madeira is when endless descriptors can be applied, and this wine was a thesaurus exploding in the glass. Elegant and light on the palate, almost weightless. Very firm and dryish on the finish. Certainly not as spectacular in the mouth as on the nose, but this was magical and an absolute pleasure to drink. Mannie commented: perhaps not from 1815, as a lot of fake 1815s were circulated due to the popularity of this "Waterloo" vintage; made for the American market which was light (probably little cask age), high in acid; probably Verdelho; machine-made bottle, perhaps re-bottled at a later date?

Medium dark in color. Slightly muted nose, but quite expressive on the palate. Classic nutskin bitterness; tangy and mouth-filling. Perfumed, lemon-squirt acidity. Refined finish. VERY GOOD.

Quite dark in color. Loads of nutskin and Christmas spices. Some rich caramel coming through; atypically richer than the last time I tasted this. Piercing acids, wonderful balance and suberb focus. I could drink this all night.

Quite perfumed, with a tangy, vanilla and cedar/spice taste. Excellent acids. Energetic and lively on the palate. Nice orange peel notes. The finish could be a bit longer, but this is fantastic.

Lots of volatile acidity. Dark in color, but a bit light on the palate. A bit soft and a bit short on the finish. Some malty aspects. Good wine, but it does fall a bit flat, overall.

This is more like it! Dark in color, probably spent a good amount of time in cask. Very rich and concentrated, but the richness is never overbearing as the acidity is in picture perfect balance. A bit hedonistic for a Verdelho, but there is soooo much to like here that it cannot be denied its stature as GREAT. Mind-blowing intensity.

When first opened, this showed odd, funky, rubbery aromas. After 4 days decanting the aromas seemed to have gotten better, but when this wine was poured at the tasting, those odd, tired, dull, oxidized (in a bad way) aromas came back. Perhaps they never really went away and I was just hoping they would. To its credit, it showed better on the palate than on the nose, but this was not good. DQ

Dark in color. Good palate impact and intensity. Lovely flavors of tea, spice and nuts. Superb citrus-like acids provide lovely lift and cut. Tangy, lip-smacking and long.

Dark in color. A nice, "warm and fuzzy" Madeira. Fruity, soft and perhaps a bit simple, but the figgy flavors are quite appealing. Monochromatic, but enjoyable.

Dark in color, with flavors of figs sauteed in butter and nuts. Sneaky length. A bit of a lactic "milky" quality, with a subtle "lime-squirt" acidity. Overall a nice showing, but a bit too soft and pillowy.

Dark in color, treacle, fudge and cinnamin. Nice nose, but the palate falls slightly short.

Lovely wine. Toffee, butterscotch and an unctuous texture. Rich and sweet, with adequate (not great) acids. My notes read "baked pastry"... not sure where that came from.

Dark, rich, sugary and syrupy. Creme brulee flavors abound. Good intensity, but this doesn't quite hit me intellectually.

Dark and complex. Sweet, yet not cloying. Light on its feet. Nice freshness and lift with superb acidic skeleton. For all that is good here, I somehow kept wanting more flesh on these bones. A bit of a disappointment, given the reputation of this wine. many in attendance felt they have had better examples of this wine. Overall, the Malmsey flight didn't quite blow me away.

Medium yellow in color. Baked granny smith apples, creme brulee, lemons and crunchy minerals. A bit weak on the mid-palate... seems more like a 19 year old spatlese as opposed to a 19 year old auslese. Nicely layered, with hints of petrol (not overwhelming in the least) and copious, nervy acids.