The nose opens with candied orange peel, dried figs and dates, a hint of caramel, and a subtle note of smoky tobacco that makes the whole thing just that touch intriguing.
On the palate, the party is complete; rich, syrupy sweet, almost decadent, but then that typical Madeira acidity kicks in and tightens everything up. No heaviness, but tension and liveliness. The finish is surprisingly long, with toffee, roasted almond, and a hint of espresso that lingers for minutes. Yes, this is a stunner.
The sweet and precocious malvasia, called malvazia or still malmsey, can only be found in the South, on low-lying vineyards at 150-200m, near the ocean.
The nose opens with candied orange peel, dried figs and dates, a hint of caramel, and a subtle note of smoky tobacco that makes the whole thing just that touch intriguing.
On the palate, the party is complete; rich, syrupy sweet, almost decadent, but then that typical Madeira acidity kicks in and tightens everything up. No heaviness, but tension and liveliness. The finish is surprisingly long, with toffee, roasted almond, and a hint of espresso that lingers for minutes. Yes, this is a stunner.
The sweet and precocious malvasia, called malvazia or still malmsey, can only be found in the South, on low-lying vineyards at 150-200m, near the ocean.
Food-pairing
It is an excellent addition to pastries, fruit, chocolate, pralines, hard cheeses, ice cream, caramel & coffee desserts.
Grapes: Malmsey
The sweetest style Madeira is made from this. There are two types, the malvasia and the malvasia candida. The malvasia candida grows closest to the ocean and originated in Greece. A nice legend about the malmsey is that of the Duke of Clarence who chose death by drowning in a barrel of malmsey to death by a sword. Blandy's named one of his wines after him. And in shakespeare's work there are numerous references to Malmsey. Even Napoleon took some malmsey from the island. In the 19th century, malmsey became even more fashionable and there was even a "morning malmsey" to start the day. Malmsey is "meditation wine" with which you end a good dinner perfectly. Aromas: honey, raisins, caramel, vanilla. An old malmsey has aromas of toffee, vanilla and sometimes even beef stock.
Alcoholcontent
20%
Store & Serve
Always keep a Madeira wine upright.
The acids of Madeira are so strong that they attack the cork if the bottle is stored lying down
Serving: 18 ° C
Madeira is a wine that has matured for several years in an oxidative environment, before being bottled in a reductive environment. It is therefore useful to open the bottles a few hours in advance. The bottles can then be stored almost indefinitely, as the air no longer affects Madeira wines. In fact, the wine tastes better after months - if there is still some left - than when opening the bottle.
Critics & Awards
4,5/5 - Vivino (36 ratings)
