Community Tasting Notes 5

• Montesquieu Likes this wine:

  January 29, 2023 - Finished this bottle tonight one year after opening it. Still extraordinary, though no longer something I'd call "perfect". Tastes like the burnt top of a creme brulee. Some/much of the acidity and crispness it had a year ago have faded, but these final drops were worth saving for the unforgettable experience of the friends who enjoyed this tonight.

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• Montesquieu Likes this wine: 100 points

  January 31, 2022 - Austin 3-star food + wine; 1/30/2022-1/31/2022 (Our residence, Austin, TX): Perfection that lasts for 90+ seconds. One of the two best Madeiras I've ever had. Purchased from RareWineCo, originally bottled in the 1960s, and recorked in 2016. A three-day decant was essential, as I'd only rate it 96-97 upon first taste. After three days, it opened spectacularly and stole the show at the end of the best drinking evening/lineup of my lifetime.

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• dream Likes this wine: 98 points

  March 4, 2018 - Double-decanted for 5 hours and it wasn’t nearly enough as the wine has so much punch and intensity that it could’ve used a few days in a decanter to mellow a bit. That being said, it’s a fabulous, seemingly ageless Madeira that’s almost black in the decanter but mahogany in the glass. Great full flavors of varnish, molasses, charred wood and a wide array of spices fill the mouth along with a silky yet oily texture and plenty of acidity. The finish is mind-bogglingly concentrated and complex and you could name any flavor in the world and its in here. So saturated, extracted and intense that it suggests a sweetness even though it’s entirely dry. Incredibly, this is still youthful although not cloying and definitely showing mature flavors. I must decant the next bottle days ahead. This will go another hundred years with absolute ease. Wow!

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• mdefreitas wrote: 99 points

  October 27, 2011 - The Great Families of Madeira (Hearth, NYC): [Family: D’Oliveira] This is not the typical “recently-bottled” commercial release, but a “Family Reserve” wine that was set aside for longer aging in bottle. This was bottled in the 1970s and decanted for four days. Having been fortunate enough to sample the regular bottling of this wine on three other occasions, it was fascinating to compare my previous impressions with this bottle-aged version. The weight, richness and power of the regular bottling were evident, but there was something else, an elegance, a polish. The texture was silkier and the flavors more multifaceted. The caramel and fruitcake flavors were complicated by floral hints and an unusual savory note (olive tapenade?). The intensity still overwhelmed the palate, but this is not just the wild beast I know and love, there is a smoothness and civility I did not expect. An absolutely gorgeous wine!

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• Seth Rosenberg wrote: 96 points

  October 27, 2011 - The Great Families of Madeira (Rare Wine Co - hosted by Mannie Berk) (Hearth Restaurant, New York City): Listed as 'Family Reserve' on the tasting program - from the family's private stock. Bottled 1970s. Dark reddish brown. Darkest of the 3 this flight. Very deep nose, sweet, molasses, coffee, burnt orange peel. Huge on palate - monster acid, orange peel. Real drive again, not quite as much as the 1892 Barbeito Sercial, but this has deeper flavors and a great finish. Nose - 4.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 6/6, Je Ne Sais Pas - 2/2 = 18/20.

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Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1850
• Type White - Fortified
• Producer D'Oliveiras
• Varietal Verdelho
• Designation Family Reserve
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Portugal
• Region Madeira
• SubRegion n/a
• Appellation Madeira

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 33 (89%)
• Consumed 4 (11%)

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