The color is a deep amber-brown with golden highlights. If you open the bottle in the back of a large room, within minutes it will be filled with the fragrance, which is unbelievably complex. You don't need to drink this wine--just inhale and enjoy the aromas. The dominant fragrances are caramel, toffee, roasted nuts, and smoke. And raisins. Yes, grapes still show through after 176 years. The shock comes when you take a sip. I'm used to vintage Madeira having a real edge to it, as if to say, "how DARE you serve me so young??" And that in wines 50+ years old. Here we have smoke, sweetness, a rich mouth feel, flavors bursting with raisins and roasted nuts, all kept alive by vibrant acidity. But no rough edges, and perfect balance. The finish forms the legendary peacock's tail of complexity and goes on forever.
Yes, if you keep vintage Madeira long enough, it DOES come around and lose that harsh edge. If you like Madeira, this is irresistible.
If you are lucky enough to own any of this wine, there is no hurry to open it. It will be at its peak for another century or so.
Triple Curly, with an extra Woo Woo Woo! And yes, perhaps an echo of Moe in the background.
-Paul W.
P.S. - My father died of pancreatic cancer this past Monday. I opened this wine to drink in his memory. It was an excellent choice.