Pulling the cork today on an 1815 Madeira

[Roy Hersh]

I bought a bottle this week from a local couple who had a bottle sitting in their cellar for many years. It never moved and they are not serious Madeira lovers. I won't get a chance to drink this bottle until Sat. night but opened it early today to get it decanting in a very wide bodied decanter to provide it maximum time to open up. Why would I do that with such an extraordinarily old bottle?

It was actually bottled in 1860 from what I can tell. It was from a famous collector's cellar in R.I. and came over on the "Comet" ship from Madeira to the USA. The cork showed its nearly 150 year old age. The only cork that I have seen like this came out of my couple of 1830s Tokaji bottlings some years ago. Short and very narrow, considerably wider at the top and as thin as a pinky on the bottom. It came out in one piece but crumbled quite a bit.

I'll wait another day to comment on the contents but will say the color, nose and thickness was out of this world ... yet I did little more than put a tinge to my lips and in my mouth. It is not ready to even sample, as this is so old that it will take considerable amount of time opening up. Wish I had done so, 24 hours earlier than I did. Oh well, it will still be great. It was dry as a bone with great depth, but as I have learned over the years, that can change in the next day or so ... although not too dramatically.

[Marco D.]

Without a doubt, one of the most unique noses I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing on a Madeira. Thank you so much for sharing!

[Roy Hersh]

Marco,

Madeira never fails to surprise me. It was an ugly and old bottle with mid-shoulder level, but I had a strong feeling this was going to have a positive outcome and far moreso when I pulled the cork. The nose came alive the second day and although the palate was not at the same lofty level, I enjoyed it quite a bit too on Sat.

There were some stunning bottles that night, I only wish that we had had another two hours with the glasses in front of us (prior to dinner) although quite unrealistic.



I am very glad you were able to be a part of your 3rd Road Show event.

[Marco D.]

The nose came alive the second day and although the palate was not at the same lofty level, I enjoyed it quite a bit too on Sat.

If the palate matched the nose, it would have been WOTN for me. My notes read something like: "Such a sweet bottle bouquet of sandalwood, vanilla, flowers, cedar, cloves, cardamom, grandma's house (camphor?), the list goes on. The sign of a GREAT Madeira is when endless descriptors can be applied, and this wine was a thesaurus exploding in the glass."

I am very glad you were able to be a part of your 3rd Road Show event.

My 4th, actually... but who's counting

Thanks for putting these historic tastings together!