Community Tasting Notes 1

• forceberry wrote: 94 points

  September 2, 2022 - The wine is made with Verdelho grapes sourced from Calheta, Estreito da Calheta, Arco da Calheta, Estreito de Câmara de Lobos and Campanário on the southern shore of the island. The grapes are fermented for approximately 3 days. Then the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation, after which the fortified wine is transferred to old French and American oak casks. The wine is aged in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses, in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. Bottled on 3rd of March, 2022, after 26 years of aging in casks (making this technically a Frasqueira - I have no idea why this is bottled as a Colheita instead). Labeled medium sweet. 20% alcohol, 88 g/l residual sugar and 7,61 g/l acidity.
  
  Medium-deep amber color with an evolved mahogany hue. The nose feels savory and somewhat restrained, but also wonderfully fine-tuned with complex aromas of syrupy molasses and dried dark fruits, some pruney tones, a little bit of honey-and-oats, light marzipan tones, a hint of caramel, a creamy touch of crème brûlée and a whiff of wizened figs. The wine feels sweet and quite full-bodied yet remarkably fresh and brisk on the palate with intense, sweet flavors of lemony citrus fruits and crunchy notes of green apples, syrupy notes of molasses, some bruised apple tones, light sweet nuances of caramel and acacia honey, a little bit of raisiny or pruney dark fruit, oxidative hints of hazelnuts and roasted malts and a touch of crème brûlée. The very high acidity lends the wine great sense of focus and structure. The finish is crisp, lively and structured with a long, sweet and complex aftertaste of lemony citrus fruits and tart green apple tones, some rowanberry jam, light oxidative notes of roasted hazelnuts, a little bit of molasses, a hint of apple jam and a touch of caramel or burnt sugar.
  
  A fantastic Colheita Boal that punches way above its weight - perhaps because the wine is much older than a typical Colheita and this could actually pass off legally as a Frasqueira. I have no clue why Justino's have chosen to bottle the wine as a Colheita and not as a more expensive Frasqueira, but I don't mind. This is just superlative stuff with excellent sense of concentration, depth, structure and complexity. The style here is more weighty and substantial compared to Justino's 1997 Verdelho Colheita, but qualitatively they are pretty much on par: this Boal is a sweeter and more syrupy expression, more like a very brisk and zippy dessert wine, whereas the Verdelho version is a lighter, less sweet and more tangy effort with less emphasis on power and complexity and more on freshness and finesse. All in all, this is a fantastic Colheita Boal that performs at least as well as many Frasqueira Boals of similar age. A real bargain at just 35€.

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Wine Definition

• Vintage 1996
• Type White - Fortified
• Producer Justino's
• Varietal Boal
• Designation Colheita
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Portugal
• Region Madeira
• SubRegion n/a
• Appellation Madeira

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• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 10 (77%)
• Consumed 3 (23%)

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