TN: Cossart & Gordon 15 Year Old Bual Madeira

[Marco D.]

A bit reserved on the first day, but on the second day this wine really sang. Loads of buttered pecans on the nose with rich, spiced honey on the palate, delicately laced with cinnamin and nutmeg in the medium-long, tangy finish. Exquisite acidic balanced. Not really a dessert wine, as this leans a bit towards the Verdelho spectrum in terms of sweetness, but this is delicious Madeira. At just under $30 for a 500ml bottle, a nice littel deal. Can't stop drinking this...

[Andy Velebil]

Thanks Marco,

My consumption of Madeira has been down lately, but I've got a 1996 Justino's on death row at the moment....Alex R. - Where are you? we need to crack that bottle and fire up the stoggies

[Roy Hersh]

Marco,

Yes, absolutely a very nice wine. We had it while in Madeira in May. Hard to find here in Washington State, but not hard on winesearcher.com

[Marco D.]

Marco,

Yes, absolutely a very nice wine. We had it while in Madeira in May. Hard to find here in Washington State, but not hard on winesearcher.com

Did you try any of their 10-year blends? If so, how did they compare?

[Moses Botbol]

At just under $30 for a 500ml bottle, a nice littel deal. Can't stop drinking this...

That's a good price.

[Roy Hersh]

Yes, we had a pretty extensive tasting. I am finishing off the Harvest Tour that you were on last year and will then get to this year's Fortification Tour and TNs.

You made one very fine observation ... that I found missing in Todd's TN on the Broadbent, where I always find the same dynamic present.

The first day, when the bottle of these 10 or 15 year olds or even Colheita Madeira and DEFINITELY (as YOU know) old Vintage Madeira -- they need lots of air time to show what they've got hidden under the hood. Sips of most Madeira out of a freshly opened bottle rarely elicits a "wow" from me. In fact, decanting even these cheaper bottles for a day or two and then pouring 'em back into the bottle works wonders. The body weight typically gains a bit of heft and the nose and flavors come alive as if ignited by a fuel injector. I love noting the difference two or three days after it is open. These are of course, just my personal observations.

Do you and others find a similar improvement?

[Marco D.]

Do you and others find a similar improvement?

Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. In fact, not just colheita Madeiras, but colheita ports as well tend to show this behavior for me. I am currently working on a Warre Otima 20 year tawny port that is much better on day 2 and 3.

Also... Andy's recent post on the 1964 Krohn Colheita Branco seems to imply this as well.

[Andy Velebil]

Do you and others find a similar improvement?

Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. In fact, not just colheita Madeiras, but colheita ports as well tend to show this behavior for me. I am currently working on a Warre Otima 20 year tawny port that is much better on day 2 and 3.

Also... Andy's recent post on the 1964 Krohn Colheita Branco seems to imply this as well.

I agree that even the non-vintage madeiras do better on day 2 or 3.

As to colheita's I've found they either do really well right at first or need 12-24 hours to really show well...but that is a whole other thread :idea: