- 1912 D'Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho - Portugal, Madeira (10/21/2007)
For the past month I have been working hard to extend CellarTracker to enable integration with multiple sources of professional wine reviews, and first on the docket was Roy Hersh's For The Love of Port. So for the past month, literally every day, I have been taunted by Roy's jubilant reviews of amazing Port and Madeira wines. Talk about temptation! Well, on the verge of completion of this project, I simply HAD to open a killer Madeira, and Roy's personal recommendation was this 1912 Dolly Verdelho. Since I was making a "game-time decision" and opening this with just a few hours to decant, Roy thought this wine was likely to be pretty clean and ready as a recent bottling.
Cola colored, quite brown with a bit of translucency. A sharp nose of onion, showing some heat and volatility, quite floral and room-filling, this was expressive from the very first pour. The palate is mindblowing with coffee, toffee, very sharp and vibrant acidity, utterly mouthwatering. The length and acidity of this wine are just staggering, and I can't really put words on how bright and piercing the aromatics are. This is not for the faint of heart, but it is heavenly elixir. Sherried, quite tart, lime, salt, caramel, really gorgeous. I am going to nurse this bottle for a month or two I suspect, and it is simply beautiful stuff. (93 pts.)
