1934 Leacocks Boal Vintage Madeira
€ 950.00
| Producer | Leacock’s |
| Region | Madeira |
| Grapes | Boal (Bual) |
| Ageing | At least 20 years in cask (Frasqueira) |
| Alcohol | 19%vol |
| Serving | 18°C, open a few hours in advance Store upright, keeps almost indefinitely once opened |
| Scores | 19/20 Jancis Robinson |
A 1934 Boal: ninety years of Madeira history in the glass.
The story
These are Madeira’s finest wines, with almost unlimited ageing potential. A Frasqueira (formerly called vintage Madeira) must spend at least 20 years in cask and two years in bottle before it may be sold. It comes from a single good harvest and a single noble grape, both stated on the label with the harvest and bottling years. After gentle heating it ages for a long time in wooden casks, and once bottled its quality no longer changes. Because they are so rare, these wines are inventoried.
Boal is a name given to several grape varieties grown in Portugal, mainly used for Madeira’s medium-rich fortified wines. Many labels anglicise it as Bual. Bual is usually less sweet than Malmsey but sweeter than Sercial or Verdelho.
Madeira spends years ageing in an oxidative environment and moves into a reductive one at bottling. It is therefore best to open the bottle a few hours in advance. After that, air no longer affects the wine: an open bottle keeps almost indefinitely and often tastes even better months later. Always store Madeira upright, as the acidity attacks the cork if the bottle lies down.
Food pairing
Cheeses such as blue cheese, Stilton, Gruyère, Manchego and Emmental. Dried fruit. Crème brûlée, caramel desserts with apple, apricot, pecans, cherries, almonds, hazelnuts or dried figs, and vanilla ice cream. Also a fine companion to a pipe, cigar or aromatic tobacco.
Critics & Awards
19/20 Jancis Robinson | Tasted: Apr 2010
Reviews
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