TN: 1905 D'Oliveira Verdelho Vintage Madeira

[Marco D.]

[Madeira @ Plumpjack's (San Francisco)]: Very dark in color; almost like cola. Dark brown/orange rim. Lots of caramel and brown spices. Nice balance with just a hint of VA. Good nuttiness and full of youth and vigor, but lacks the WOW factor for me. Others loved it more than me. (92)
4/3/2008

[Madeira @ The Caucus Room (Washington DC)]: Much better than my last sample of this wine... I suspect this was decanted longer. Figs, maple, caramel and a fresh, invigorating almost "wintergreen" note that really perked the wine up. Medium length. VERY GOOD. (93)
3/10/2007

[Madeira @ Triomphe (NYC)]: Dark caramel in color. Although opinions differed on this wine I found it a bit musky and in need of more aeration. I detected a bit of a “milky” lactic quality to it with a note of figs sprinkled with balsamic. Not a bad wine and a wine with potential, as I saw it improving throughout the night. Tough to rate, but this is clearly at least GOOD. (90)
1/20/2007

[Madeira @ Patroon (NYC)]: Dark coffee-colored wine. Almost opaque. Seemed a bit closed at first, but it really opened up to show some great “darker” flavors, such as coffee, mocha, chocolate, and truffles. A single sip sent intense aromas wafting up into my nostrils. Totally intense experience. I kept a bit of this wine for later in the evening, and it just kept getting better. Outstanding. (94)
10/6/1999

[Roy Hersh]

Reminds me of how "off" my bottle was two weekends ago. I love this wine and wish mine had shown anything like these great experiences.