TN: NYC Madeira Tasting @ Triomphe 1/20/07

[Daniel Tisch]

Many thanks to Roy for hosting this event on 1/20/07, and to Mannie Berk of the Rare Wine Company for sharing with us his vast knowledge of, and experience with, Madeira. I am also thankful to the rest of the attendees. I was a great tasting due to the fantastic wines and knowledge they shared; the warm, unassuming, generous, and friendly tone of the evening was really something special. Since I am relatively new to Madeira of this caliber, especially compared to some very experienced Madeira palates present at the tasting, I am not sure the breadth of my exposure positions me to accurately estimate point rankings…I will leave this to the more experienced tasters present to make these judgments.

FLIGHT # 1
1852 Naval Reserve
Bottled 1871. Believed to be either Sercial or Verdelho, most likely Sercial. Color was the second lightest of the flight after the 1898 Barbeito Sercial, and was a light golden burnt orange. Some sediment in glass despite bring carefully decanted for five days. Initially very intense and complex nose consisting of lightly burnt caramelly-orange, pouch containing fine shredded tobacco just after tobacco removed, light smoke, hint of old burnt apricot, floral notes. On the palate strong attack with strong acid infused with hint of caramel and mellowed old orange rind. Very complex mid-palate literally dances on the palate like fireworks, with a kaleidoscope of flavors consisting of shimmering nuances in the orange and apricot range. Hint of soft mint way in the background. Medium finish with strong acids all the way through. Revisited several hours later in the evening and detected a noticeable reduction in the acids on the palate, and the fireworks feeling on the tongue had mellowed. The nose also evolved considerably, with honey, honeysuckle and golden raisin tones emerging strongly, along with a markedly enhanced perfume of light smoke and intense shredded tobacco in a pouch scent that I found intoxicating. Couldn’t keep my nose out of the glass all night, long after the wine was gone! Later on noticed a very similar shredded tobacco nose on the 1832 Acciaioly Terrantez. Tied for my #1 wine of the flight, with the 1902 Barbeito Verdelho.

1898 Barbeito Sercial
Lightest color of the flight, a light golden burnt orange. Light, soft nose that was a little bit less revealing than the Naval Reserve or the 1850 D’Oliveira. Floral notes, light caramel, hint of mellowed grapefruit essence that later blew off, light apricot. On the palate, focused. Big attack. Mellowed on the mid-palate. Some wet tobacco leaf infused in the lighter apricot notes. Shorter finish.

1850 D’Oliveira Verhelho
Color was a mid-dark, rich burnt orange. Strong nose, yet not as intense as the Naval Reserve. More toffee than caramel on the nose, with hint of orange rind, brown spice flavors. Nuttiness in the background. Rich. On the palate, strong acids. Rounds out on the mid-palate. Complex and filigreed. Burnt mellow orange, apricot. Hint of walnut. Great finish. Sweeter palate. A great wine. My second favorite of the flight.

1850 D’Oliveira Verhelho (second tasting 3 days after initial pour)
On the nose, mid to slightly higher toned notes. Tobacco/cigar box. Hints of brown spice and other brown scents such as very old dark brown date. Soft nut skin tones and a hint of caramel. On the palate, old mellowed apricot. Lower acidity than initial tasting, but still good acid. Excellent structure…focused and complex. Finish very strong but mid-length.

1902 Barbeito Verdelho “Pico Dos Barcelos”Color of darker brown with burnt orange tones mixed in. Nose not especially revealing to me at first except for some slight heat, but gradually opened a bit to reveal a complex range of burnt apricot, old orange rind, light caramel and hint of butterscotch. Given even more time, mild scents of cedar box and smoke emerged to the fore, intensifying as less wine was left in the glass. On the palate, strong acid, hint of tobacco leaf. Complex mid-palate with sustained strong acid, kaleidoscope of burnt old apricot notes, hints of butterscotch. Acids held up strongly, leading into an incredibly long finish of persistent apricot notes gradually fading off…like an opera singer holding onto that incredible high note for much longer than you believed possible. Amazing wine. My WOTN tied with the Naval Reserve.

1902 Barbeito Verdelho “Pico Dos Barcelos” (3 days after initial tasting)
Wine has evolved fabulously. On the nose, a moderate bit of heat. High-mid to high toned feel. Cognac-like nose. No tobacco at first, but it emerges strongly as the wine is left in the glass and is drunk…perhaps something about the residual evaporating on the glass magnifies this tobacco scent? Roasted brown burnt apricot and peach essence. Very focused and aromatic. Piercing. On the palate, strong attack good acid and hint of tobacco leaf. Mid-palate continued strong with acid follow through, mid-toned old burnt apricot paste notes. Long finish, but a bit shorter than initial tasting infused with soft apricot and some lighter brown spice. Hint of nutmeg somewhere in the background. Still more left in the bottle. Will update post with its further evolution…Still mind-bending wine.

1905 D’Oliveira Verdelho
Color was dark brown with some orange tone. Minor sediment in glass. Deep and broad nose. Complex. Dark toffee, rasiny with butterscotch. Something else special on the nose which I couldn’t quite identify. Fullness and richness on the nose and palate. On the palate, thick and rich mouthfeel. Sweeter. On the attack acids were good but more rounded. Mid-palate revealed old rasiny flavors (these tones, but not the entire wine, reminded me somewhat of PX), molasses, hint of old date, toffee, hint of walnut. Impression of some heat on the mid-palate. Unctous.


FLIGHT # 2
1903 D’Oliveira Bual
Color is very dark brown, clear and translucent. On the nose initial impression of some heat. Hint of dried fig and old raisin. Cedar. No smoke or tobacco. On the palate, strong attack, rich, high-toned and good acid. Smooth mouthfeel. Strong mid-palate, congnac-esque. High-toned burnt orange rind. Very complex and filigreed within the orange range. Hint of apricot. Acids held up brilliantly. Orange and apricot notes mellowing as they tapered off in a looooooong finish. Excellent!

1903 D’Oliveira Bual (3 days after initial tasting)
On the nose, evolution toward greater mid-tones. Rich smell of very old apricot. No heat. Spice box complexity. Hints of younger or lighter brown sugar. Although not present for me in the initial tasting, notes of soft shredded tobacco inside a pouch started to move toward the fore on the nose, especially as the wine evaporated on the sides of the glass. On the palate the wine was rich, with apricot essence, burnt orange and light brown spice box. Great complexity. Dances on the tongue. Focused.

1908 D’Oliveira Bual
Color very dark brown. Somewhat cloudy and nearly opaque. On the nose, slightly medicinal. Not very expressive at first, but gradually revealed hints of old apricot, fig and raisin. More mid-toned smells than the 1903 Bual. On the palate, weaker attack than the 1903, with acid picking up strongly in the mid-palate. Deeper and lower toned brown flavors and old apricot, but even though I picked up these tastes, I was left with the feeling that I didn’t really “get” the essence of this bual, that I hadn’t quite experienced its magic that seem to elate other tasters and move them. Perhaps I needed more time with it or I was distracted, or perhaps it was evidence of my inexperienced palate with bual; but numerous people whose palates are far more experienced than mine raved about this wine. Finish was solid, but somewhat truncated for me compared to the 1903. Although I enjoyed it immensely, I look forward to revisiting again at some tasting in the future when perhaps I will connect with it more deeply.

1832 Acciaioly Terrantez
Color was mid-dark amber and somewhat cloudy, perhaps due to lack of decanting prior to pouring or to travel turbulence. I can only wonder how well this would have shown had it been decanted more before tasting, but I thought it was amazing and it was my wine of the flight despite being straight out of the bottle. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the Buals above, the two terrantez’s of the flight resonated with me a bit more. The nose revealed a little heat and was at first a bit medicinal, but this soon blew off. Wonderful soft and rich aromas of shredded tobacco in a pouch, cedar and nuts. I revisited this glass frequently over the evening, and with more time the intoxicating soft smells of sweet shredded tobacco moved more to the foreground, again especially as more of the wine evaporated on the sides of the glass. On the palate, not as smooth as the buals and of course not as sweet, but mellow is how I would describe it. Strong attack with good acid, focused and structured. Very poignant flavors of soft sweet shredded tobacco and cedar clearly delineated in the mid-palate, with very old burnt apricot taking relegated to the background structure. Acid grew I the mid-palate. Hint of bitterness in a good way, in very long finish. Revisiting this wine much later in the evening, although the nose just made me shake my head with pleasure, the palate didn’t hold up quite perfectly, although it remained very good. This was my wine of the flight.

1899 Welsh Terrantez
Color of mid-dark amber, and clear. Something slightly off on the nose, which later blew off. Smooth and rich nose of roasted apricot essence and nuts. On the palate, strong attack with vibrant acid, sweeter than the 1832 Acciaioly, smooth and rich mouthfeel. Good mid-palate of roasted burnt apricot, old dark orange marmalade, some raisin. Focused and structured. Light finish. I enjoyed this wine very much.


FLIGHT # 3
1834 Barbeito Malvasia
Color dark brown. On the nose, complex notes of toffee and nuts, apricot, some tobacco. On the palate, strong attack with superb balance and structure becoming even more clear in the mid-palate. Dominant flavors of toffee and sweet smoke, old apricot in the background structure. Excellent wine, and my wine of the flight. The wine could well have benefited from the triple? decanting performed by its owner the day prior to the tasting, as several tasters with extensive experience with this wine remarked that this was among the better if not the best showing of this wine that they had experienced.

1862 Blandy’s Malvasia
Color dark brown. Rich, velvety and low-toned nose of molasses, old dried fig, shredded tobacco in pouch, cedar, and walnut. No heat. Very smooth. On the palate, nice attack with some slight heat. Unusual notes of coconut kicked off the mid-palate, but blew of shortly thereafter. Good structure. Complex flavors of toffee, caramelized brown sugar, dark and mellow undertones…old forest floor, spice box, and a flavor that I can try to describe as aged molasses and walnut infused buttercream. Very round mouthfeel. Long finish. Excellent wine and a very close # 2 pick of the flight, followed closely or perhaps tied with the 1907 D’Oliveira tasted later on.

1907 D’Oliveira Malvasia
Dark brown color. My notes for this are a bit more limited, but on my page double underlined is “very special”, somewhat imbalanced especially compared to the 1834 Barbeito, but great! I don’t remember the nose other than its richness. I did jot down my notes on the palate, which was spectacular. Strong attack with good acid. Lots of very focused and intense flavors of caramel, toffee, dark chocolate, butterscotch and potently rich crème brulee. Just an amazing combination of flavors that was magical for me. Fantastic wine. I was as obsessed on the flavors in this wine as I was on the nose of the Acciaioly. Would have beaten out the 1834 Barbeito for my wine of the flight if it had a more revealing nose and more balance, but darnit, that mid-palate was just so compelling that it came in a very close second tied with the 1862 Blandy’s despite this.

“Grand Cuvee Custom Blend” (blend of all bottles at the end of the flights)
Color dark amber with dark orange hues. Very complex nose dominated by hints of coffee bean, dark bitter chocolate, dark toffee, aged dried fig, old prune, mid- to high-toned aged burnt apricot, tobacco, walnut, very slight heat, and lingering soft scent of cigar box. On the palate, great attack with excellent acid. Complex mid-palate of high-toned old apricot, cognac, hint of bitterness, dark orange marmalade, and hint of lemon rind. Dances on the palate and “shimmers”. Very long finish. This is one heck of a blend!! I liked it better than several of the vintage bottles!

[Reidar Andersen]

In Flight # 3 is one of a couple of mystery bottles in my collection. I have for a long time tried to find the origins:

Malvasia 1962 Blandys :

I have a very old moulded bottle of this with plenty of dust. Must have been bottled a very long time ago:

On top before neck there is embossed in the glass something which I cannot read. Then:

MALV. ( note a dot after the "V")
VELHA
1862

All this in white, grey, very faded stencil from many, many years ago.

Just under "1862" :

BLANDY ( note: without the "S" )
MADEIRA
This in what looks like "brand new" paint.

Simple guessing is that this bottle has, as many madeira bottles, been bought by Blandy's in recent(?? ) time and rebranded.

I think I bought it at RWC.

HELP !! :?

[Daniel Tisch]

Reidar,

I happen to have the empty bottle of this from the tasting, and the bottle is exactly as you describe yours to be. I dont know if it helps at all, by the bottle I have has a paper label on it just above MALV. that reads "Exclusively imported for Esquin Imports San Francisco by Wine Imports Ltd. San Francisco, Calif.". The label also contains other info such as contens 1pt., 9 Fl. oz, Alcohol volume 20%, and Produce of Madeira".

Part of the reason that I held on to this bottle was because I thought that this old moulded bottle was amazing in its own right (despite its contents), and the neck of this bottle leans rather markedly to the left for a bottle...like the leaning tower of pisa...that kind of angle.

I wish I could find more of this!

Perhaps Roy recalls who at the tasting brought this bottle, and can ask them if they can shed any light on it.

[Andy Velebil]

Daniel,

Can you take a pic of the bottle and post it here. I'd love to see it. Thanks

[Reidar Andersen]

Daniel,

Thanks for info, wil keep it in my files !
My bottle has a straight neck but one shoulder is a bit higher up them the other. Clear sign of being "homemade". Also the stripes showing the moulding much thicker on the right side than the left .

Reidar

[Daniel Tisch]

Andy, please click on the link below to see the photos of the blandy's 1862. The second and third pics are the best for seeing the bend in the neck as they are taken turning the bottle from front to back in the same place. I included the first photo simply because i took it using flash and it shows the date clearly, whereas with flash off in the other pics the date may be too faint to be seen clearly.


http://picasaweb.google.com/Ericaessner ... 9_9wLuhvQ4

[Andy Velebil]

Thanks Daniel,

Disregard my email, saw this post after I sent it.

[Reidar Andersen]

Daniel

It is tempting to do some sort of speculation about this bottle. I remember some page from Nöel Cossart book "Madeira The Island Vineard".

Looked through it this weekend and found on page 123 where Nöel says that in 1928 he started to take an interest in wine.

In 1928 one of the available vintages from COSSART was 1862 Malmsey. Also the vintages for Blandy's were also mentioned, but NOT the 1862 M.

Since Cossart and Blandy's change names on their bottles up until today ( easily seen in their lodge in Funchal ! ) , I guess that some time after 1928 they wiped off the paint showing "Cossart" on this bottle and painted it in fresh "Blandy" !! ?? :idea: :idea:

Due to this old bottle, it may also have been in bottle lng time before 1928.

Reidar

[Roy Hersh]

Fabulous notes Daniel and I very much look forward to drinking with you later this year. I got your emails and will respond shortly as my project is winding down now.

My article on the 3rd tasting (DC Madeira tasting) would have launched prior to my daparture in August except for one snafu. The photographer who promised to send me the photos never did. I am awaiting the photos from him so I can FINALLY launch the next newsletter with this tasting as the featured dolumn.

[Alan Gardner]

1903 D’Oliveira Bual[/b][/u]
Color is very dark brown, clear and translucent. On the nose initial impression of some heat. Hint of dried fig and old raisin. Cedar. No smoke or tobacco. On the palate, strong attack, rich, high-toned and good acid. Smooth mouthfeel. Strong mid-palate, congnac-esque. High-toned burnt orange rind. Very complex and filigreed within the orange range. Hint of apricot. Acids held up brilliantly. Orange and apricot notes mellowing as they tapered off in a looooooong finish. Excellent!

Had this wine in May, but it didn't show as well as your note. The colour was lighter and there was a very light sediment. My notes on the aromatics are similar - lacked any 'burn/smoke' characteristics.
And indeed the acid on this I would describe as 'fierce' rather than 'high toned'! This dominated the flavour profile giving the impression of a Verdelho rather than a Boal (I'm assuming this was the same wine: - Mine read "Boal Reserva"). Certainly apricot - but fresh rather than dried.
I think this has a very long life ahead of it. Probably another 50 years (at least). If you anticipate living that long just put this away and forget about it!.