1981 D'Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 91.8 points

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  12/23/2022 - gouldcampbell77 Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Bottled in 2021. Decanted 48hrs
  
  The usual D'Oliveira's dark chestnut (all their wines seem to have the same colour to me). Granted, there are some hints of green in those nutty depths. Crystal clear as befits a recent bottling such as this. To be brief, this is a wine that ticks all the Verdelho boxes, but only just. There is a lovely roasted barley sugar flavour and grippy tannin and acidity as you'd expect but it lacks the excitement of some of the great bottlings. It just doesn't have the vivacity and tangy orange peel excitment I look for in a verdelho which is unusual from this usually reliable producer. I sense this is a wine going through the motions rather than showing what this grape is really capable of. Good, but no cigar here. Is this a representative bottle?

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  8/22/2022 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

  This was delicious; very enjoyable and should age really nicely. Classic Verdelho

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  7/8/2021 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

  This was a killer bottle of Madeira; opened for my 40th; the nose was complex and delightful; orange peel, chocolate, walnut, bruised peach, spice cake, and a hint of varnish. The palate was perfectly off dry with lovely acidity and a long finish. Paired very well with dark chocolate cheesecake.

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  5/25/2021 - MalcolmV Likes this wine:

  Super complex. Boozy on the nose with figs, nuts and pineapple. Searing acidity refreshes your palate and stops this from being at all cloying. 40 Years old and fresh as a daisy.
  Q:3
  P:
  X:3

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  5/3/2021 - thesternowl wrote: 94 Points

  The fourth bottle on my 40th birthday week was this lovely surprise pour from a Somm friend at Tasting Group. I’ve always been a sucker for Madeira and this was flat out delicious. Candied walnuts, orange fruit marmalade, creme brûlée, figs...all of the things. So richly layered and long lasting on the palate. Just lovely.

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