January 7, 2023 - Double decanted two days before service. Dark shiny brown in color. Upon initial opening, there was searing acidity that masked pretty much everything. After the two days, the wine was cohesive. The acidity had calmed down by about 75%, leaving a great acid backbone. The sugar was coming on to make this a sweeter-than-normal Verdelho from my perspective. The overall package paired really well with the turtle soup I made to go with the wine, the Brennan's recipe that I juiced up a little with Chohula green chili sauce.
June 9, 2022 - Bodegas Tradicion et al. (Chicago, IL): On the pop and pour, this is quite attractive already, though there is definitely a bit of stink that should go away if I give this the few days of decanting that it needs. There's a slight herbal note here that gives this a lovely freshness. The sugar profile reminds me of kuromitsu, and the acidity is incredibly high, as expected for verdelho. As typical of the house, the profile is quite dark, and what's surprising to me is how sweet this is for a verdelho. Fantastically delicious, it's always a treat to taste something so old.
June 24, 2018 - Second Sunday Group: Aged Alsatian Riesling Vendange Tardive (Neil's): Double blind, courtesy of MYo. Deep tawny color with notes of raisin, caramel, pear liqueur, citrus and toffee. On the palate, this is rich and unctuous, with flavors of smoky burnt caramel, sweet baked apple, and pear liqueur. For as much sweetness as this has, there's a dryness and balancing acidity. Absolutely glorious. Easy to pick out as a madeira, the question was type and age. Guessed 1940s verdelho.
May 17, 2018 - Great depth, wonderful spice and good energy on the finish for a verdelho. Consumed over two weeks, and better after opened a couple of days.
June 24, 2017 - Light brown color. Aromas of figs, orange blossom and roasted nuts. Ripe, intense fruit in the mouth with great depth and length and bracing acidity. Very structured and complex on the palate. Though just opened, a compelling Verdelho that only improve with time.
July 10, 2015 - [Redacted]; 7/10/2015-7/11/2015: This is perhaps one of the richest and darkest verdelhos that I remember ever tasting. There's definitely a bit of the grassy herbaceousness I associate with verdelho on the nose (or is that just confirmation bias?). The amazing thing here is the balancing act between the light citrus tones and the inky darkness of the house style. I have no idea what a spice box is, but this is what I'd imagine one would smell like. This is basically the complete package: deep wood tones, burnt sugar, fresh citrus and grass, spice, and nuts, all harmoniously and polyamourously married together.
December 6, 2014 - Decanted for thirteen (13) days and drank over the course of three (3) weeks. Deep amber in color w/orange rim exhibiting intense aromas of orange marmalade, raisin, fig, burnt caramel, molasses, roasted almond and sweet baking spice. Dry, with razor sharp acidity; a tapestry of dried fruit flavors are beautifully interwoven with hints of rich cocoa powder/chocolate. Opulent, velvet textured and focused with enduring salty/sweet finish. Only negative was a slight perception of heat on entry that dissipated quickly and did very little to diminish the overall experience.
August 21, 2014 - Utterly fantastic.
April 29, 2014 - Absolutely stunning. Perfect shape, brilliant from first sip to last. As a side note, Reba McEntire's WOTN.
April 26, 2013 - Great nose of roasted nuts, chestnuts really, burnished blood orange and macerated tomatoes. A surprisingly balanced palate, with moderate sweetness, extracted lemon oil, petrol, tobacco and orange curd. Not a huge fan of the nose, but a surprisingly elegant palate with dynamic flavor and great balance....excellent!