TN: Blandy's Duke of Clarence

[Ray Barnes]

I decided, after some delightful hours of study, that today was going to be the day, come Hell, High Water, or the BC Lions ever going back to the Grey Cup game, to buy and try out some madeira. Sorry to say the local store had only 2 brands in stock, and I opted for the less expensive of the two, retailing at $25.99 Cdn. Before starting this thread, I checked the 16 pages of entries for this particular label, but there were none.

This forum and its members have been blessed with tasting and sharing madeiras whose great age and quality command awe and admiration. This wine, it appears to me, does not belong in that exalted category. To be fair, this wine has no aspirations of greatness, but sometimes one wants an inexpensive wine made satisfying well.

Courtesy of http://www.blandys.com, this wine is made from Tinta Negra Mole, heated using the estufagem process (and I get the strong impression that the estugem vs. extended heated storage method is similar to using a microwave vs. slow oven roasting, in terms of flavour integration) for 3 months, then stored in cask for 3 years in American oak, then fined and bottled. Alcohol 19%, ph 3.41, resid. sugar 123 g/l, total acidity 5.85 g/l tartaric acid.

I found this wine's bouquet very similar to that of cognac except a bit sweeter. Not bad at all. Medium-brown colour with pretty good viscosity. I did not find the acidity and sweetness well integrated, it tastes very sweet but a bit soft. The producer claims honey and raisin tones but I detected no honey, instead some chocolate. Not much length to mention. My wife, who until today has never had tasted a madiera, said it was a pleasant wine, that "feels good to the body". She makes a good point, the wine's alcohol combined with the sweetness create a warm, embracing sensation. But it is not a complex offering.

As far as value for money is concerned, I have to grade this wine a C+. I think for an extra $10 or $15 one could buy a sweet unfortified dessert wine that has greater richness and length. As it is, for a "no-guilt, no-brainer" after dinner sipper, this does a very satisfactory job. It is less cloying than some Cream Sherries. After coming indoors from a cool damp evening on the we(s)t coast, one could do worse than this for a quick restorative - I would gladly take it ahead of schnapps. I would much rather drink it than cook with it.

[Roy Hersh]

Ray,

I have never tasted this wine and I've been to Blandy's on a number of occasions. Sorry to hear of your lack of enthusiasm, but I am afraid it is most likely due to the quality of what was in the bottle. Yes, the estufagem method compared to Conteiro is a simpler, less expensive and quicker "fix" for developing the Madeira.

I know I've emailed you a few suggestions of reasonably priced Madeiras to purchase.

In the mean time, for a fun read ... check into the untimely demise of the character who gave his name for this particular bottling that you mention. His finish, may have been longer, certainly "deeper" and a lot sweeter than the Madeira you just tasted.

[Ray Barnes]

Yes I read that he chose death by drowning in a cask of Malmsley in preference to dying by the sword.

As an aftermath, he was cremated, and burned for 2 days. (ok, I made that part up)

[Roy Hersh]

Can you think of any better way to go than walking the plank into a large vat of Malmsey?

Well I can, but I don't think my wife would be amused.

[Ray Barnes]

If you are thinking what I am thinking, I would be scared stiff.

[Ray Barnes]

In retasting this wine 4 days after uncorking, it appears there has been some concentration of bouquet. It has taken on an aroma very similar to that of Kahlua. My wife noticed it as well. Its finish is about twice as long as before, but not much change in the flavour profile. My daughter took a small sip - her first ever of this kind of wine - and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. Overall I am happier with the wine now than last Sunday. With some provolone cheese, it was a soothing end to a rather stressful day.

[Roy Hersh]

Ah, the beauty of providing Madeira with a few days of air time. I had that conversation by phone with a friend a couple of hours ago. With a very very old Madeira, I told him 48 hours of air time and at first he thought I was joking.

[Ray Barnes]

Amen to that Roy. Would you believe me if I said it is still improving now 5 days after uncorking? The chocolate is becoming more prominent, and now, finally, there is a kind of raisiny flavour, and, paradoxically, the acidity on the finish is more evident too. This may sound like I have had too much - which I haven't - but it tastes drier and sweeter than before. Very interesting stuff. I have to give this wine a solid B instead of C+, now I would definitely buy it again.

[Ray Barnes]

If I may add a postscript, I cannot think of any other wine I've had that kept improving 4 or 5 days after uncorking. As far as reds go, I've had some nice Barolos that hit their stride the next day. A 1996 Austrian Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese needed 2 days to show everything it had.

They say experience is the best teacher - and I am finding that this unassuming bottle of madeira is providing evidence that this kind of wine has a chronology that is unique unto itself.

[Todd Pettinger]

It's funny how the Search function on the site is hit and miss.

I did try the Blandy's Duke of Clarence some time ago. I suppose it wasn't preceeded by "TN" to denote aTasting Note, but further down the thread, I included this:

I did finally get around to trying the bottle that I purchased.

First impressions:
Dark, caramel/toffee colour, yellowish rim.
Deep aroma of raisins with a touch of brown sugar, espresso and figs. Sweet start, but sugars disappear very quickly.
Very smooth with well-integrated alcohol, just a slight touch of fire in the mid palate. Short, clipped finish that disappears quickly but leaves the mouth coated with a thick feeling - and a desire to sip more!

Having never tried Madeira before properly, I do get the impression that this is by no means a great example, but it is good and leaves me wanting to expand my Madeira experiences.

Todd

I'm not sure I left it as long as you did Ray, so I may not have gotten around to discovering the evolution as well as you did over multiple days.

I have another bottle which I have been meaning to open. No time like the present!

[Ray Barnes]

Thanks for your comments. As for your closing sentiments, I will second the motion. As the proverbial boys say, you can't take it with you.

[Ray Barnes]

As a postscript, I am absolutely, unequivocally convinced that the back label should contain a note that the wine should be decanted for at least 127 hours.

ok, maybe not.

[Roy Hersh]

I am getting a feeling that we are going to continue to see the word POSTSCRIPT early and often around here, for years to come on

Now if only Stewart can attach a meta tag to "postscript" then maybe we'd have a whole new group of people visiting the site from Google hits on that word.

[Todd Pettinger]

I am getting a feeling that we are going to continue to see the word POSTSCRIPT early and often around here, for years to come on

Now if only Stewart can attach a meta tag to "postscript" then maybe we'd have a whole new group of people visiting the site from Google hits on that word.

Should be easy enough. And Ray should find a way to make sure that FTLOP finds it's way into the top 5 pages that use the word "Postscript."

Ray, are you, by chance, a college/university English prof? Madeira, the word "postscript," it all makes sense! :)

BTW, I may be coming to Vancouver in early 2009... if I have a night free I would love to meet you in person, and the Port and/or Madeira would have to flow! :)

[Ray Barnes]

Hi Todd,

I thank you for your kind sentiments but no I am not an English professor. I have been the Canadian equivalent of a CPA since 1986. I am however sensitive to the nuances of language and consider it a sacred trust, a gift which enables homo sapiens to set it apart from other creatures. Without getting too deep into spiritual issues, since this place is not designed for that sort of dialogue, I feel that we enter this realm with the opportunity to descend towards carnality or to raise up those aspects of our nature and prepare ourselves to elevate into higher forms of self-awareness and of universal awareness. I feel that wine is a very useful tool, in moderation, in spiritual reflection and contemplation. It is more than food for the body.

I very much look forward to sharing a glass or two with you.

Ray

[Todd Pettinger]

Holy smokes! Deep, philosophical and I now fear I may not live up to expectations as a civilised creature if we were to meet in person!

I see that the bottle of Blandy's "Duke" that I opened merely hours (? if that long ago?!) may not last 5 days .
Watching football and sipping on this Madeira is addictive... I may have to buy another bottle and sit it (open) in the cupboard to assure that it survives a few days so I can compare with Ray's observations. This one does not appear that it will live that long... :?

[Ray Barnes]

Todd, I can assure you that you have absolutely nothing to fear at all. If it may make you feel any better, I like pro wrestling too.

[Ray Barnes]

By the way Todd, having madeira while watching football sounds pretty cool to me too. :) I believe serious wine lovers are most grieviously slighted at sporting events by not being offered a large selection of premium wines. Especially vintage ports and madeiras.

[Roy Hersh]

At Richard Beeken's last weekend, we had two bottles of Madeira open and watched two games. Very civilzed indeed.

[Todd Pettinger]

At Richard Beeken's last weekend, we had two bottles of Madeira open and watched two games. Very civilzed indeed.

It's just too bad my Seahawks didn't show as well as the Madeira... both last week and this.