1949 Madeira Malvazia, Barbeito
I bought this from The Rare Wine Company decades ago. According to the label it was bottled in 1995.
The color is a deep orange-gold. The aroma leaps from the glass and perfumes the whole room. Caramel aromas dominate, but with floral nuances of lilac, honeysuckle, and peony. It has a very fullunctuous mouthfeel. The flavors are classic mature vintage Malvazia--I detected caramel and similar toasty nuances, but it's very hard to pick the flavors apart. The wine is very sweet but has bracing acidity in perfect balance that prevents it from being in any way cloying. The finish does not form a peacock on the palate. It explodes on the palate with flavors mainly of grapefruit that last for about ten minutes after one swallows. Enjoy this over the next century. Or two. Double Curly Moe (for the finish).
-Paul W.