1920 Bual Madeira, Blandy
Reddish-brown color. Lovely and very complex aroma. On the palate, perfect balance between bountiful, complex fruit, just the right amount of sweetness, and enough acidity to carry everything without being harsh. Beautiful peacock tail finish that just carries the whole experience along for another couple of minutes. Perfectly mature at 105 and good for another century. Triple Curly.
This is one of the first Madeiras I ever tasted, back in the early '90s. The Winecellar of Silene in Waltham MA, at the time one of the premier wine shops in the Boston area, was planning to import Blandy's and set up a free promotional tasting of their wines. They had the full lineup of non-vintage varietals (sercial, verdelho, bual, malvazia) and also the 1920 vintage bual. When I walked into the shop I saw the bottles lined up on a table at the back. There was a marvelous wine aroma pervading the whole shop. It turned out to be the 1920 bual, which at 70 years old was just coming into its stride. I was hooked. The NV varietals were good, too, but nowhere near the magnificence of the 1920.
The Winecellar of Silene is no longer, but the Rare Wine Company in California sells vintage Madeira from several producers and some of the prices aren't too outrageous.
-Paul W.