1962 Cossart Gordon Boal Vintage Madeira
€ 540.73
| Producer | Cossart Gordon |
| Region | Madeira |
| Grapes | Boal (Bual) |
| Ageing | At least 20 years in cask (Frasqueira) |
| Alcohol | 20%vol |
| Serving | 18°C, open a few hours in advance Store upright, keeps almost indefinitely once opened |
| Scores | 96/100 Wine & Spirits 94/100 Wine Spectator 93/100 Robert Parker |
A 1962 Boal: a world-class meditation wine.
Tasting note
Dark brown with a golden tint, a greenish rim and beautiful, slow tears. Dense and concentrated, with the classic bouquet of old Madeira: exuberant and extremely complex, with balsamic notes, cedar, cigar box, spice, dark chocolate, caramelised orange peel, dried passion fruit, roasted nuts and old cognac. Deliciously rich yet lively and fresh, with spice and resin. A long, lingering finish.
The story
Made by winemaker Francisco Albuquerque, a textbook example of world-class vintage Madeira.
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 the Portuguese name of the grape, Bual the English one (it is also called Boal Cachudo). It grows mainly in the south of the island, between 100 and 300 m altitude, and in the north near São Vicente.
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
96/100 Wine & Spirits | Tasted: Feb 2016
94/100 Wine Spectator | Tasted: Apr 2016
93/100 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Reviews
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