1748 Justino Henriques Verdelho Solera?

[Mark L]

Esteemed Madeira lovers/collectors/followers,


A few of these bottles were at auction today (three?)... has anyone had the great fortune of tasting these or know anything more about their story?


1748 Justino Henriques Verdelho Solera

Thanks!
Mark

[Peter S.]

Hi Mark,

Coincidentally, I am curious as well, as I just took possession of the same.

[Mark L]

Great, Peter!

When you treat yourself to a tasting of it (be it a special occasion, or an idle Tuesday), be sure to share your tasting note of it here!

There are many of us who would be interested in hearing your impressions.

Cheers, and good sipping,
Mark

[Peter S.]

Mark,

I have a predicament. I assume the bottle is quite special and of significant value to a Madeira lover. However I know little about such fine wines, having come across the bottle accidentally, and having never engaged in discussions or tastings of this nature. I am geographically isolated with little opportunity to share the bottle with others, and it would not be right to open the bottle in isolation. I would need to either sell it, or find a community in the San Francisco area to share it with.

Perhaps I should post an invitation for a tasting in San Francisco? On this site or others? Are you aware of others in the SF Bay area who would be interested in hosting such an event?

Peter S.

[Peter S.]

So I contacted Sherry Lehman (where the bottle was purchased circa 1950-60's) and told that without proof of suitable storage, especially given the dry nature of the Verdelho, the wine probably wouldn't taste so great. True? Is it just a novelty bottle at this point?

Peter S.

[Eric Ifune]

Huh!? My opinion of Sherry-Lehman just went down several notches. Justinos is one of the larger Madeira producers, perhaps not in everyone's top lists of producers but a well respected one. I'd expect this to be more than decent, especially if the level is good. Any other info on the label such as bottling date? The great thing about Madeira is that you can open the bottle, recork it, and it will still be good weeks or even months later. I routinely will open a bottle, and drink it at leisure over weeks or months.

[Mark L]

I'm in agreement with Eric. Without my knowing much about this particular bottling (hence why I started the topic), I am surprised that they would have said this to you... First of all, (also to agree with Eric) Madeira loves air ... in fact, if it was bottled in the 50s or 60s, then you'll probably want to open it, then air it out for a few days to get rid of any 'bottle funk' before drinking it .... the more air, the more "itself" it will probably seem! And once opened, as Eric said, you can enjoy it for a LONG time to come.

There are many other more seasoned experts regularly on this forum than myself, I will be the first to admit, so I will always defer to their knowledge base and welcome others' comments.

Regarding proof of storage, I also believe that Madeira is not as temperamental as other wines to changes in temperature. (After all, the origins of madeira come from the concept that they were stored on ships traveling to the Americas, and exposed to extreme heat in the process for the duration of the long trip.)

All in all, I would think it would taste fine. Though if you haven't had a lot of madeira, I'm not sure if you would definitely "know" or not... the most important thing is: does it taste good to you? Because at the end of the day, it's all about personal taste!


(Incidentally, I head to SF semi-frequently, and if you arrange a tasting of this in San Fran, I would probably be interested in making my way up there (coinciding some work meetings) from LA to taste it! So keep me in the loop if that is the direction you decide to go!)

[Roy Hersh]

I agree. The information you were given is bogus from someone either who does not innately understand Madeira OR is looking to dupe you into thinking there's little value and steal the bottle away. Don't let them.

If held in SF, depending on the time of year, it would be great to write about this bottle. Can you please send me a photo or group of photos of the bottle. I can find out more for you, if you would like. Roy@fortheloveofport.com

[Eric Ifune]

Agree with Roy, this is probably quite a valuable bottle. Don't see many mid-18th century wines, even if it is a solera.