TN: N.V. Rare Wine Co. Madeira Imperial Malmsey Old Reserve; Producer: Henriques & Henriques

This forum is for discussing all things Madeira - vintages, recommendations, tasting notes, etc.

Moderators: Glenn E., Roy Hersh, Andy Velebil

Post Reply
John Trombley
Posts: 427
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 6:46 pm
Location: Piqua, Ohio, United States of America - USA

TN: N.V. Rare Wine Co. Madeira Imperial Malmsey Old Reserve; Producer: Henriques & Henriques

Post by John Trombley »

rated 93 points: N.V. Madeira Imperial Malmsey Old Reserve; Producer: Henriques & Henriques Vinhos S.A., Câmara de Lobos, Madeira, Portugal. WineBid, $120/750 ml (after BP); imported by Rare Wine Co, Vineburg, CA. 20% abv. These labels have no bar codes on them, so this one has been in bottle quite a while, most likely.

T-cork very dry; broke off at top while attempting to remove. The Durand cork-puller, delicately used, extracted the remainder successfully from the neck--another score for this handy item. Tasted from the Impitoyable first.

Somewhat cloudy, probably needing more time to settle after shipment, with a nearly blood-red semi-transparency. Sheeting with sparse tears.

Initial nose proclaims the style-smoky vivid cherries, lightly milked chocolate, earth, some varnish and a decided punch of volatility, taking some half--hour of swiring to tone down.

After it's been aired, a fruitcake complex emerges nicely, with citron peel, hard ground spices, and roasted-almond nuttiness, overlain by aged raw Yunnan pu-erh tea, the beef broth tailing off into a lovely clove note; very nice but still with plenty of room to grow. Still needs air. Has plenty of depth on the nose, the kind that has you scratching your head, saying, 'What's that I'm smelling?' A powerful and balanced mouthful of Madeira, with a lightly sweet, juicy, rubbed-varnish, very persistent finish and a very smooth and limpid mouth-feel. A nice balance of power and finesse.

Second day: More bricking, less red, and clearer appearance. Tangy caramel reaches out to the nose. Sweet beef broth and smelling of vibrant acidity, with an energetically-expressed veal-kidney note there somewhere, and a hint of shoe polish. Punchy acidity in the mouth with luscious fruit and sweetness to balance; a very pleasurable and persistent finish, with an almost chemical-like but pleasant and apporpriate flavor, and a fine stoniness. Prolonged juicy sensation in the corners of the mouth, as well.

This is the reddest-colored white wine I've ever seen, I think. Not a reason in the world to cellar it further; but will keep indefinitely as long as the cork holds, and a bottle or two stashed away might provide a nice surprise for an unexpected visitor.
Daniel Fraley
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 8:17 am
Location: Private, United States

Re: TN: N.V. Rare Wine Co. Madeira Imperial Malmsey Old Reserve; Producer: Henriques & Henriques

Post by Daniel Fraley »

Luckily I was able to track down a few bottles last year through the Brown Derby. I read a lot in these forums that the really old vintages fill the room with their essence, something I experienced with this bottling! I was a little disappointed though that the palate didn't blow me away as much. Don't get me wrong, it's one of the best RWC NV bottling's I've tried so far, and I've tried them all. I second John's 93 rating for what it's worth! [cheers.gif]
John Trombley
Posts: 427
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 6:46 pm
Location: Piqua, Ohio, United States of America - USA

Re: TN: N.V. Rare Wine Co. Madeira Imperial Malmsey Old Reserve; Producer: Henriques & Henriques

Post by John Trombley »

A room-filling aroma--what i sometimes call a 'searching' aroma--is definitely an aspect of this wine. Actually wrote that but edited it out. Palate seems to be filling in somewhat with the bottle being open.
Edward J
Posts: 301
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2015 9:30 am
Location: Bay Point, Ca, USA

Re: TN: N.V. Rare Wine Co. Madeira Imperial Malmsey Old Reserve; Producer: Henriques & Henriques

Post by Edward J »

Madeira is something that has always been used in the finest culinary sauces but I had found no need to drink any of it. Now that I've been further educated, I decided we should have a few bottles around. So I started with this one. I found it at auction at a good price. Cheers [cheers.gif]
John Trombley
Posts: 427
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 6:46 pm
Location: Piqua, Ohio, United States of America - USA

Re: TN: N.V. Rare Wine Co. Madeira Imperial Malmsey Old Reserve; Producer: Henriques & Henriques

Post by John Trombley »

Edward J: I hope when you open one of these you'll give us all your impression of it. Many fine Madeiras require 24 or more hours of oxygenation before drinking. This particular one seems to do well upon opening, although subtle changes do take place, as noted. Thanks for writing.
Post Reply