Your favorite Madeira(s) of 2008?

[Roy Hersh]

I asked a similar question on our Port Forum area and the same applies here.

What was your favorite Madeira ... or top 3 ... bottles of Madeira you consumed this year?

[João Rico]

1870 Malvasia Caves Casa da Calçada
1910 Fajã dos Padres Malvasia
1920 Boal Blandy's

[Peter Reutter]

1925 HM Borges Boal - for a very positive surprise, since I expected little to nothing from a bottle with souvenir-like wicker cover.

1890 Cossart Gordon Malmsey - for being my best Malmsey in 2008, classic, rich and "baroque".

1996 Vinhos Justino Henriques Sweet Colheita - for the complexity and character of a young vintage Madeira at a fraction of the price.

Merry christmas to you all and may your Madeira wine glasses never empty
Peter

[Ray Barnes]

The Henriques & Henriques 10YO Boal I have been nipping at the last 3 days and still counting. Although one of my resolutions for 2009 is to have some of the vintage stuff. :)

[Eric Ifune]

1827 Quinta do Serrado Boal
1850 D'Oliverias Verdelho
1870 Blandy's Malmsey
All at one of Roy's Madeira tastings.

[Marco D.]

Looking back at my database for 2008, I came up with the following:

1827 Quinta do Serrado Madeira Boal
I've had this wine four times in nine years, with some minor bottle variation. The sample I had in April, at Roy's Madeira Road show in San Francisco, was on fire!

1850 D'Oliveira Verdelho
I've had this wine twice this year with absolutely no bottle variation. Always a fine drink.

1870 Blandy Malmsey
Another fine wine from the San Francisco Madeira Road Show. Sweet, cedary, savory and in perfect balance.

[Ray Barnes]

Merry Christmas to all und besonders Frohe Weihnachten und Gutes Neues Jahres auch zu Peter und Glenn. Ich hoffe dass die Zukunft wuerde nicht zu schwer, besonders mit taegliche hochfeinste Weine.

Ray

[Gary Banker]

1920 Favilla Vieira malvasia - Probably the best madeira I have yet tasted.
1929 Barbeito verdelho
1944 Barbeito malvasia - Very fine. I've seen very little about this vintage. RWC sold some a few years ago.

Fortunately, I still have a few bottles of each.

[Eric Ifune]

Marco,
I guess we have the same tastes in Madeira!

[Marco D.]

Marco,
I guess we have the same tastes in Madeira!

Or we hang out at the same events

By the way, wasn't the 1870 Blandy your contribution in SF?

[Eric Ifune]

Yes. I've another couple of bottles to bring to future events.

[Roy Hersh]

Pretty funny that your lists were identical. I'll have to give this some more thought and pick 3 as well.


Joao wrote: 1910 Fajã dos Padres Malvasia

I'd love to hear more about this particular bottling!

[João Rico]

This was probably the best Madeira that i ever had.
I've been having a lot of Madeiras from 19th century but until now, nothing comparable to this one

This was lost in a restaurant and the owner, who i know, just offered this bottle after dinner. And i had to struggle with my friends to keep what was left in the bottle (everybody needed to drive).
The wine was huge, superb intensity, superb complexity and great acidity. So young, so full of life and so fresh. Incredible.

I've tried to find some bottles of Fajã dos Padres but i haven't been able to find any.

[Roy Hersh]

Come on ... there has to be more of you drinking Madeira than this? :devil:

[Ray Barnes]

If not, based on what has been said to me earlier today, some do not know what they are missing.

[David Spriggs]

1827 Quinta do Serrado Madeira Boal
1850 D'Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho
1908 D'Oliveiras Madeira Boal

[Alan Gardner]

I'll copy & paste the note that I posted originally. However, a month ago I opened another bottle of the same wine (bottle # 441) and it was CORKED (the first time I have experienced this in a Madeira).

Malmsey Vintage 1908 Madeira (Blandy's) – bottle No. 435
From the back label:
“This wine was aged in oak till 1957. the total contents of the cask was 398 litres which yielded 530 bottles of which 500 bottles have been reserved for Sherry Wine & Spirits Co. Inc., New York. The remainder has been kept for private use of our Directors.”.

There is also a side sticker saying “This wine was acquired from a private collection. Morrell & Company, Wine Merchant & Fine Wine Auctioneers”

The front label identifies the contents as 1 pint, 9 fluid ozs. and Alcohol 21% by volume.
Tasting Note:

Astonishingly pale colour – which turned out to be a good thing. Most of the Malmseys I’ve had ‘recently’ have been thick and sticky. The Blandy’s was a light gold-tawny and extremely clear. But bountiful aromas of treacle toffee followed by dried fruit and finally coffee.
On the palate – it was amazingly elegant – almost danced across the palate, yet at the same time was remarkably dense in flavour. Dried fruits followed by lemon and tangerine marmalade notes, with astounding acidity yet no detectable VA. Finished with coffee laced with orange.

Certainly the best Madeira I’ve tried in a couple of years. It was so ‘light’ (in terms of texture and colour, but not in flavour) that I would probably not have identified it as a Malmsey. My guess would have been that it spent most of its time in glass, rather than oak (despite the back label). If anyone still has this, I’m guessing it will go for another 50 years (at least), but unless you’re a young whippersnapper, then be selfish and open this now.

Alan Gardner

[Veli Pekka P.]

Not expensive ones, not rare ones, but good madeiras:

1988 D'Oliveiras Terrantez
ABSL Listrao Branco RV (not bottled, straight from barrel!!!)
ABSL Moscatel RV

And happy madeira-year 2009!
V-P

[Scott Anaya]

My notes, or rather my empty bottles on the trophy shelf aren't with me to recall the specific names of all three, but I know the '71 Blandy's Bual was among my best of 2008. Beautiful Bual from my birth year!

[Gary Banker]

Roy,

You've had time to think. What are favorites for 2008?