Blandy's Verdelho Solera 1870

18.5 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Dark amber in the glass, this Solera from the XIX century has an interesting bouquet, starting with some smoke and earthy notes and then opening to something sweeter, with lots of burnt sugars, toffee and dried fruits.

Although it certainly shows some age in the palate, it still shows a remarkable acidity, with a lovely structure and notes of oak and lots of dried fruits. Very long, persistent finish marked by almonds and hazelnuts.

Tasted on 2012-03-05

Blandy's Sercial 1910

19.0 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Light amber to the eye, this 112 years old wine is a remarkable, amazingly fresh Madeira. Toast notes and dried prunes in the nose, along with toasted almonds and hazelnuts in a austere but very precise bouquet.

Nicely structured in the mouth - remarkable for its age - the usual dryness associated with Sercial is still there in vast amounts, along with a citrus, lemony acidity that give this wine an astonishing life. Toast notes and dried fruits fill the palate during the taste finishing in a very long, strong and lemony way.

This is another eternal Madeira, still young after a hundred years - an experience not to be missed.

Tasted on 2012-02-26

Blandy's Bual 1920

19.5 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Dark amber in the glass, this 92 year old Bual (bottled after 65 years in cask) is, to put it bluntly, a nearly perfect wine - in fact, I hesitated between 19.5 and 20 all the way through the taste.

Starting with the amazingly lively and intense bouquet, where crystallized oranges and exotic woods mingle with raisins, lemon rind, iodine, toffee all bundled together in an elegant and simultaneously intense. One of those wines you keep swirling in the glass, eagerly waiting (and getting) yet another twist, another combination of scents.

Following up with a heavenly structured body - simply unreal after all this time, a remarkable acidity in a taste that conjures up notes of caramel, some citrus, english cake and toffee and an intense finish that lasts forever... and then keeps going for a little more, leaving a dried fruits aftertaste.

It is simply an amazing combination of elegance and intensity, masterly polished by time resulting in a seemingly eternal wine.

Tasted on 2012-02-19

Blandy's Sercial 1966

17.0 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Bottled after aging for 38 years in oak, this Sercial from 1966 is a treat, with a sharp, penetrating bouquet filled with notes of toffee, burnt sugars and exotic woods.

Feeling very dry in the palate, with a slightly thin body, this has an amazing acidity. Lots of dried fruits notes fill the mouth during the taste, that finishes long and dry.

I felt the wine was bit too thin for my personal taste, since I tend to like more structured, fuller Madeiras. But this wine would probably shine when paired with food, although I'm not quite sure what woud be the ideal match.

Tasted on 2012-02-01

Blandy's Verdelho 1968

18.0 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Bottled after spending 26 years in cask, this Verdelho from Blandy's is an impressive Madeira, with a bouquet that, although not very complex, conjures up walnuts and almonds, dried figs and exotic woods.

Impressive acidity in a highly structured body, with a slight hint of citrus - specially orange skin - this provides a very good taste, fresh and with notes of dried fruits. Long impressive finish finishes up a top notch Madeira, already tuned by age but still with a lot to give in coming years.

Tasted on 2012-01-23

Blandy's Terrantez 1976

18.5 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Bottled in 1997 - after 21 years in oak, this Terrantez is an awesome wine. Amber colored, the bouquet starts by giving us toffee and dried figs along with burnt sugars and exotic wood. Later, something a bit more acid comes through, like sweet oranges. In the background layer, a load of cloves and cinnamon also join an amazingly layered and complex bouquet.

Great impression in the mouth as well, with the wine giving out a slight mineral touch that really made it stand out. Very concentrated and structured, it has a good, crisp, citrus acidity that perfectly balances the sweeter, toffee and caramel side to this. A very long and persistent finish wraps up a world class taste for the rarest grape type in Madeira wine.

Tasted on 2012-01-14

Blandy's Bual 1980

17.5 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Dark golden, almost amber, this 1980 Bual is starting to show the complexity usually found in old Madeiras in both the nose and the mouth.

Dried figs and almonds show up in the nose, along with the usual burnt sugars and exotic woods. Also present are some iodine notes, giving it a fresh, scented nose.

Feeling very fresh in the mouth, this shows a beautiful balance. Deep and complex, with a marked toffee side to it, it finishes long and pleasant.

A very good Madeira, in a fine balance between the usual Madeira acidity and the weight and complexity given by its sweeter side.

Tasted on 2012-01-05

Blandy's Bual Colheita 1993

16.5 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Amber in color, this Bual from Blandy's has a nose mainly with exotic woods and fudge, along with crystalized fruits and dried orange skin.

In the mouth, it shows a sweeter, more delicate profile than what I expected. Although displaying a vibrant acidity, it comes along as somewhat creamy, finishing long with fudge notes.

Tasted on 2011-12-27

Blandy's Malmsey 1994

17.0 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Amber colored, this Madeira has a nose of dried almonds, burnt sugars, english cake, orange skin and a vague iodine feel, along with some exotic woods.

Rich and half sweet on the palate, as expected, this has a nicely balanced acidity and a good structure. Notes of crystalized fruit, wood and orange skin fill the mouth, finishing long and strong.

A good Madeira destined for after meals.

Tasted on 2011-12-13

Blandy's Verdelho 1984

18.0 / 20

Producer: Blandy's

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

One of a series of wonderful Madeiras tasted in October, at a special tasting celebrating the 200 years of Blandy's in Madeira, this is a very good Verdelho. Beautiful amber, dark golden color, the nose is rich, with notes of caramel and burnt sugar, crystalized orange skin, the usual exotic woods. Somehow, the bouquet manages to convey a sense of acidity.

And this acidity is present and very much alive in the palate, in a vibrant, fresh body that has a very nice structure. Notes of caramel permeate the taste, along with orange skin and dried figs. Very long finish that brings out the amazing acidity on this again.

Has decades ahead of it, so don't open all the bottles you might have. This will definitely be amazing ten or twenty years down the road.

Tasted on 2011-12-07

Barbeito Sercial 1978

18.0 / 20

Producer: Vinhos Barbeito

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Dark amber, almost brown in the glass, this has an exquisite, deep, complex bouquet. Burnt sugar, caramel, exotic woods, smokier notes, dried fruits - figs - and a background of something acid, citrine. It all merges together into a deep, imposing and intense bouquet that makes you keep swirling and sniffing the glass.

Amazing unctuous full body, with a good, fresh acidity beautifully complementing the oak and sweet notes you can feel in the palate. Obviously dry, but not as dry as you might expect from a Sercial, this is perfectly balanced. Finish lasts forever, leaving spices, orange skin and caramel in the aftertaste.

A great wine by any standards.

Try not to pair with anything too sweet. The dryness and acidity will stand out negatively.

Tasted on 2011-09-03

D'Oliveiras Colheita Terrantez 1988

17.5 / 20

Producer: D'Oliveiras

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Unfortunately, Madeira wines are often overlooked by most consumers, even in Portugal. Truth is Port is usually the first option for a fortified wine and is much easier to find. But every time I taste a good Madeira, I'm reminded of the amazing finesse and complexity these wines have to offer.

This one, a Terrantez - a rare grape nowadays - from 1988 shows a beautiful dark orange, almost amber colour. The nose is fragrant and complex, with the usual smoky, burnt sugar notes along with oak impressions. A strong lemony/citrus/orange skin feel pervades the bouquet and I'm pretty sure there's some tropical fruits going around in the background.

In the mouth, a full bodied wine, yet dry and with a beautiful, crisp, fresh acidity. Burnt sugar notes and, again, the suggestion of some tropical fruit. Finishes long leaving a lengthy, acid citrus aftertaste.

Really, really good.

Maybe as an aperitif or by itself after meals. Its high acidity will make it tricky to pair with desserts, in my opinion.

Tasted on 2011-05-13

Verdelho 1913

15.0 / 20

Producer: Unknown

Region: Madeira

Country: Portugal

Bought at an auction, this was quite a risk since the wine level in the bottle was quite low. Not unexpected in a 97-year old wine and since it was a Madeira, I decided to take the risk.

As soon as I decanted it, I knew this wasn't a total loss. A deep golden brownish color, the aromas were still really nice, with the expected smoky aromas, going along with sweet, honey-like scents and some really clear tertiary aromas reminding me of wax.

Unfortunately, in the mouth the wine did not live up to its aroma, at least in my humble opinion. A thin bodied wine, having already lost almost all its complexity and structure, it nevertheless still showed some acidity but lacked something. Maybe I was expecting a more complex taste, showing more of those tertiary aromas.

Still, it is always amazing to taste a wine harvested almost a century ago - just think, before both world wars, communism or anything we now can't live without - and to be able to enjoy it and to identify it clearly as a Madeira wine.

Tasted on 2010-07-08