TN: NV Justino’s 50 Years Old Tarrantez

[Eric Menchen]

(72 g/l RS, 10.5 g/l TA) Like the previously tasted 1954 Verdelho, this also has some furniture polish in the aroma, along with some nuttiness and sugar trying to come out. The sugar character is like a dark sugar syrup, like D60 candi syrup or some other invert sugar. There is big acidity, but not quite as much as the 1954 Verdelho. This coats the teeth with flavors of orange and tangerine. Very nice, I prefer this one over the 1954. 92-93 points.

[Roy Hersh]

I like this considerably more than you do, if just going by score alone. It is one of the better Terrantez that is "somewhat affordable" on the island these days. But 505 Euros is not for everybody, nor is Terrantez. As for the sugar style, ok it is certainly not Brazilian Icumsa 45. But I'd liken it more to the pure cane from the island, then a manufactured sugar.I feel this exemplifies everything I love about the grape, when it avoids the sweeter profile of a 1988 D'Oliveiras as an example of the polar opposite approach to the grape. Don't get me wrong I'll drink the '88 on occasion too, but not my preference. What did you score the 1971 D'Oliveiras T?

On Sunday night, with just four tour guests left on the island, I brought one of the two bottles I had purchased for dessert that night. I had one more night afterwards in Madeira, but thought that since Rob was the group organizer and he and Melissa were with Meer and Jilmil, that it would not go to waste. It was only the second time that Elizabeth had ever tasted it and she was amazed. As the other four had it just a few days earlier they were happy to taste it again. I did not want to take it back to the hotel with me, so we sat there until everyone had enough and the bottle was empty.

Unfortunately, 3 places we tried to get into that Sunday night, were all closed, so we wound up at Atlantic.

[Eric Menchen]

I like this considerably more than you do, if just going by score alone. ... What did you score the 1971 D'Oliveiras T?

I put in a disclaimer on one of my first TNs from the trip to Madeira that even after drinking the wines for a week, my preference remains with the sweeter wines. Sercial and Verdelho rarely get high scores from me, and Tarrantez suffers as well in my scores, but not quite as much. I score for me and my tastes. The 1971 D'Oliveiras T got 93 points, and also suffered coming after a bunch of wines I enjoyed a lot more.

It doesn’t compare to the last six or seven wines tasted, which were sweet and on the order of 100 years old. Drink this on its own and it is probably great. 93 points.