TN: 1907 Blandy's Vintage Bual Madeira

[Alan Gardner]

no selo de garantia, so old bottling)
Bright tawny colour with olive rim.
Nose typically sweet with some orange notes, followed by caramel – hint of lemon toffee;
Palate notable for perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, seemed to oscillate between the two, followed by an orange marmalade finish. Medium long finish but the only criticism is that it hasn’t yet developed the full complexity of age. Maybe in another 50 years……. (except this was my last bottle).

This was served with a game/terrine platter, consisting of
Wild Game & Berkshire Pork hazelnut terrine
Wild duck breast
Foie-Gras Cuit Sous-Vide
Game sausage
Boudin Noir
Toasted baguette.

The match was made in heaven – the chef was astounded – he couldn’t imagine anything else matching as well as this.

My opinion: - the 1907 Bual is possibly the ‘perfect’ wine to display what Madeira is all about. It shows all the characteristics that make Madeira what it is. I can’t think of a better example to show why this Board exists. Unfortunately now retails for about $800!!!!!!!!!! However a few attendees felt that the (relative) lack of complexity was a detriment – just too young.

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