TN: 1907 Blandys Boal

[Eric Ifune]

Been on a good run lately with Madeira.
Decanted. The bottle had a considerable amount of fine sediment adherent to the bottle. Decent cork.
One of the most visually appealing wines I've seen in a long, long time. Brilliant, deep red gold shot with green. Almost viscous with a depth of saturation of color rivaling the best robes of old Burgundy.
Deep rich aromas. Initally a bit of VA. Toasted walnuts and hazelnuts. Dried apples, figs, and dates. Also a citrus component with lemons, limes, and tangerine. Spicy, both savory and sweet, with cumin, nutmeg, allspice. Just a cornicopia of aromas.
Very rich on the palate as well. Quite sweet for a Boal, almost Malvasia sweetness but with huge, huge acidity. More citrus on the palate. Smoky. Enormous complexity and depth.
Very long with a bit of bitterness on the end.
I'm going to be stingy and give this only a 96 points. I'm guessing a day in decanter will raise this.
One of the best 20th century Madeiras I've had. Better than the Blandys 1920 and that's saying something.

[Barry Sunderland]

Living the Madeira Dream...

[Daniel Fraley]

I keep looking for the "drool" emoticon...

[Roy Hersh]

Personally, I can say that I absolutely love this specific Boal. I remember opening one in my downstairs, a large room with 16' ceilings. The day after it was decanted my entire downstairs area smelled like roasted espresso and when the bottle was consumed, it was remarkable. Wish I had more!

[Matt K]

I count myself lucky to have one of these in my collection. A prized treasure.

It sounds like you went fairly straight to consumption after decanting - were you able to taste day/s afterwards for any changes?
Anything you'd do differently in terms of the decant/time?

I'm strategizing on how I'll handle mine when I find the opportunity to crack it. :)

[Eric Ifune]

I decanted in the morning and drank that evening. The next day, some of the aggressive acidity had toned down a bit. Some of the angularity and smoothed out. I might have given it a point more in scoring. It only lasted another day before it was all gone.

[Matt K]

So do you think you'd give it 24 hours for 'primary' service if you were doing it again?

In your experience how long will a bottle of 1900-1920 last, in a desirable state, once opened?

I've been collecting some of these 'older' (all things being relative) bottles but mostly consuming my 1960's/NV product so I'm trying to decide on a general strategy for decant length. I've read so many different opinions...1-2 days, 1 hr per decade, etc.

[Eric Ifune]

Usually I like a long decant time beforehand. I didn't the the 1907 because I didn't plan well enough in advance!
Mannie Berk's rule of thumb is one day for every decade in glass.
I've had wines that I've opened for months that have kept well. What I do is decant, clean out the bottle; and then double decant back into the original bottle once it's dry. I keep those tee type stoppers around to reclose. If you can get your hands on the D'Olivera's wooden ones, those are the best. I put them back in the cellar and have a nip or two every so often. The 1907 was an exception because I drank it up in one go over the course of a couple of days.
Back at the turn of the 20th century, the great American Madeira collectors kept all their wines in glass demijohns closed only with a watch glass over the top or a cloth loosely stuffed into the neck, mainly to keep the insects and vermin out. Definitely not airtight. They would pour out a decanter's worth when they wanted some.

[Matt K]

Thanks Eric - that's very helpful.

[Bradley Bogdan]

Usually I like a long decant time beforehand. I didn't the the 1907 because I didn't plan well enough in advance!
Mannie Berk's rule of thumb is one day for every decade in glass.
I've had wines that I've opened for months that have kept well. What I do is decant, clean out the bottle; and then double decant back into the original bottle once it's dry. I keep those tee type stoppers around to reclose. If you can get your hands on the D'Olivera's wooden ones, those are the best. I put them back in the cellar and have a nip or two every so often. The 1907 was an exception because I drank it up in one go over the course of a couple of days.
Back at the turn of the 20th century, the great American Madeira collectors kept all their wines in glass demijohns closed only with a watch glass over the top or a cloth loosely stuffed into the neck, mainly to keep the insects and vermin out. Definitely not airtight. They would pour out a decanter's worth when they wanted some.

I'd love to see an inebriated rodent!


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[Eric Ifune]

I'd love to see an inebriated rodent!

More like a small hairy version of the Duke of Clarence!