Your Top 10 Year Recommendations

[Daniel Fraley]

Finding quality and affordable madeira is getting very difficult these days, so I'd love some recommendations on 10 year blends that can scratch my itch! I've been enjoying the 15 Yr Borges series which is fantastic, but even these are getting difficult to track down. The RWC series was my go-to for a while but I'm finding the blend isn't as good as the earlier bottlings. Any recommendations are appreciated!

[Eric Ifune]

Not going to find much better than the Borges series.

[Moses Botbol]

H&H, Justinho, and Broadbent are my go to brands. Possibly because that's what's on normally carried.

[Glenn E.]

Borges, H&H, and RWC would be my recommendations.

Interesting to hear that you feel like the RWC blends aren't as good as earlier bottlings. I'll have to get another New York Malmsey to see if I can tell the difference.

[Mike J. W.]

Finding quality and affordable madeira is getting very difficult these days, so I'd love some recommendations on 10 year blends that can scratch my itch! I've been enjoying the 15 Yr Borges series which is fantastic, but even these are getting difficult to track down. The RWC series was my go-to for a while but I'm finding the blend isn't as good as the earlier bottlings. Any recommendations are appreciated!

Addy Bassin's MacArthur Beverages in Washington D.C. (bassins.com) has all of the Borges 15 year-olds for sale at $55 / bottle. They also have some other Borges including a 20 year-old Verdelho. They also have a smattering of Blandy's, Broadbent and I believe at least one H&H single year. They deliver to more than half of the states in the U.S., but sadly not to PA where I live (although it's only a 3 hour drive with traffic). Check them out if you haven't heard of them before.

[Daniel Fraley]

Thanks Mike, yes Bassins is my typical go-to, best price on the web for Borges! Relative to price, how much drop off in quality do you see on the 10 year vs 15 Borges? I feel your pain on the PLCB, I used to live and work in that State. Occasionally they'll have some amazing clearance deals on madeira.

Glenn, my latest bottle of the RWC series was the Savannah Verdelho and it came across a little harsh to me... One wonders if the 50 year tinta negra percentage of volume in each bottle has dropped over the years as supplies have dropped??

When I was on the island last year I sampled a few 10 year D'Oliveiras and they were fantastic, but it's been difficult finding them in the States. They truly drank like a 15+.

[Mike J. W.]

Thanks Mike, yes Bassins is my typical go-to, best price on the web for Borges! Relative to price, how much drop off in quality do you see on the 10 year vs 15 Borges? I feel your pain on the PLCB, I used to live and work in that State. Occasionally they'll have some amazing clearance deals on madeira.

Glenn, my latest bottle of the RWC series was the Savannah Verdelho and it came across a little harsh to me... One wonders if the 50 year tinta negra percentage of volume in each bottle has dropped over the years as supplies have dropped??

When I was on the island last year I sampled a few 10 year D'Oliveiras and they were fantastic, but it's been difficult finding them in the States. They truly drank like a 15+.

I don't have a ton of experience with Madeira let alone Borges in particular so my uneducated guess is that the drop-off is somewhat similar from a 20 year-old Tawny to a 10 year-old Tawny. Someone like Eric or one of the more dedicated Madeira drinkers should weigh-in though.

[Eric Ifune]

The Rare Wine Co. Historic Series are less than 10 years old. They're nice for what they are, but prefer 10 and 15 year olds more. Borges are my favorites, the 10 year old Malmsey and 15 year old Verdelho in particular.

[Al B.]

I’ve been working my way through various 10YO blends. For my palate, the Justino 10YOs are my preferred choice but H&H are not far behind.

I even have Justino 10YO Bual in my glass as I write this (but the Verdelho is my favourite).