For The Love Of Port

My first Madeira of the Broadbent company and I must say that it was a positive surprise! For a retail price of 45 US-dollars this wine was excellent. I tasted it together with three friends just to give them a small sip of Madeira wine and save the rest for me, but we emptied the bottle that same evening...

1996 Colheita Sweet
Broadbent Madeira
Color:
Brilliant light amber, very light when compared to an old sweet Madeira vintage.
Nose:
Very figgy nose with lots of sweet toffee and caramel, powerfull yet elegant, much more complex than expected.
Palate:
Medium sweetness with perfectly balanced acidity, nice caramell with toffee, figs, raisins, almonds, walnuts, then also some roasted aromas of coffee and toasted bread, ending with a very smooth and long vinous finish.
Footnote:
Tasted 1/2008. Rather intense compared to the about 7 or 8 Colheitas I had so far and a very positive surprise. Made from from Tinta Negra Mole, Complexa, Tinta da Madeira and Triunfo, so this is another hint at the good potential of these grapes especially TNM. Definitely a good alternative to 15 year old Madeira blends or young vintage Madeiras. The two guys tasting this Colheita that usually rate their wines with the 50-100 scale awarded 90 and 92 points, but I must say that this was their first Madeira wine ever (two more lost souls saved!). Anyway this wine was very good indeed! According to the producers homepage this is the first Colheita Madeira that has ever been introduced to the U.S. - it's a shame they don't sell their wines in continental Europe.

There are many fine Broadbent Madeiras in the lineup. I'll speak to Bartholomew Broadbent and see if he can answer why the Madeiras he has produced by Justino's is not sold in Europe. I've tried the whole bunch and have quite a few favorites. Glad you made the discovery Peter!

Why were you surprised it was so good? The producer (Justino's) or the mix of grapes?

No, certainly not because of the producer, on the contrary I like their wines a lot, especially the 10 YO sweet reserve and the Terrantez old reserve. My experience with their vintage Madeiras however is limited to the 1933 and the 1954 (I think) and those were good but nothing overwhelming.
I also knew, that TNM can be pushed to very high quality, ever since I tasted VJH's above mentioned 10 YO sweet reserve years ago.
No, my real surprise for me came from the Colheita style, because the Colheitas I have had so far (mainly from the different MWC brands) seemed quite ordinary to me, in any case I had missed the individuality I had expected from this style when compared to the 10 YO and 15 YO blends.
But I admit this 1996 Colheita has really won me over, I will get a few more bottles of this and other Colheita Madeiras and see again.
And I asked Bartholomew about the exports to continental Europe, he told me they were in talks about that issue, so there is hope