'88 D'Oliveira Terrantez (Bad Bottle!)

[Barry Sunderland]

Watery, tart, and short. Nothing like my first bottle. What happened here?

[Niklas J]

But no mouldy smell or so? The few Madeira wines I've had, which have been cork tainted, were short, tart and also had this unpleasant wet cardboard odour.

[Barry Sunderland]

Hey Niklas,

No TCA detected, just take '88 D'Oly T, mix with 1/5 a bottle of water, and shake well...

Another board member PM'd me, and he is currently experiencing the same with his bottle!

[Barry Sunderland]

The other offended board member's '88 D'Oly T is a 2013 bottling, as well, and a relatively similiar IVBAM number. Will contact RWC on Monday...

[Niklas J]

Hi Barry,

Please keep us informed. Two bottles are too little to start speculating in a cause, but at the same time it's a strange coincidence.

Best

Niklas

[Roy Hersh]

I've had a LOT of this specific Madeira with zero bad bottles. Don't panic, Barry!

[Barry Sunderland]

I've had a LOT of this specific Madeira with zero bad bottles. Don't panic, Barry!

No panic here. By the way, you have found a quite a difference between the vintage and colheita version of this; possible mix-up at the winery?...I don't know. The bottles in question resemble the 'colheita' much more than the 'vintage', In my opinion...

The following are 2 notes from you, Roy:

1988 D'Oliveiras Terrantez Colheita Madeira [$ Find on Wine-Searcher.com $]
Well what do you know? I had no idea they made Colheitas at D'Oliveiras, as I have never seen them sold in the USA. Although a sucker for just about any Terrantez, this was a bit thinly veiled. Interesting aromatically with black tea, pure maple and a hint of mint undertone, I found this a bit too acidic and I can't remember saying that about Madeira too often. The aftertaste was straight forward and rather short, especially for a Terrantez.
86 Points (2008-05-09)


1988 D'Oliveiras Terrantez Vintage Madeira [$ Find on Wine-Searcher.com $]
Bottled 2012. What caught me by surprise was how different this wine presented over the course of four nights, compared to the bottle I opened late last year (2009 bottling). I remember that was a Terrantez on the sweet side of the spectrum, but I was either mistaken, or a few extra years in wood created a huge difference. :) Sure, the entry does have a bit of residual sugar, but there's no question that the essence of this 1988 is rather dry, with an almost Sercial-like profile. Scents of saline, VA and mahogany, grapefruit peel, and a distinct roasted espresso and nutty mocha note emerged with time in glass. Piercing acidity that shows fresh and unrelenting precision while creating overall symmetry in this D'Oliveiras. For my money, it is clearly the finest young bottling of Terrantez on the market today! The finish has improved over the years and now remains long after the swallow, it is absolutely delicious if you are not afraid of a mostly dry Madeira. With another few decades aging in wood, this may become one of the great Terrantezes for the next generation.
93 Points (2012-06-26)


These are my notes...

Postby Barry Sunderland [This user is an FTLOP Subscriber] » Thu Jan 09, 2014 8:16 pm

Watery, tart, and short. Nothing like my first bottle. What happened here?

My earlier bottle was this:

1988 D’Oliveira Terrantez (2013 Bottling)

Really digging this...
Serious. Stuff.

A rich and smokey nose; honey, orange, vanilla, a trace of wintergreen.

The palate is medium/full in body; firm, but round; some zesty refreshing acidity that crashes like a waterfall onto the mid-palate and lingers in the gums, balancing the long, nutty, citrus, and enjoyable bitter finish.

Me like this Terrantez!

For $90, this is a must buy for vintage Terrantez.


92 points

[Barry Sunderland]

I need to get final confirmation, but I most likely I will be tasting my bottle vs. a potentially, and hopefully, different batch bottle at RWC on Thursday with Mannie Berk. Once again, my bottle and another board member's bottle seem to be 'thin and short', with very close IVBAM numbers, rather than what we experienced with earlier bottles. For $90, it's certainly not a hill to die on, but now I'm more intrigued than anything...

[Barry Sunderland]

Taking the day off and driving up to RWC. Really looking forward to 'The Man of Madeira', Mannie Berk...

[Barry Sunderland]

Mannie took the bottle back and exchanged it, no problem.
By the way, it was a real pleasure meeting Mannie; a really nice, approachable, and articulate guy.

[Roy Hersh]

A class act!