1984 D'Oliveira Verdelho Vintage Madeira
€ 375.00
| Producer | D'Oliveiras |
| Region | Madeira |
| Grapes | Verdelho |
| Ageing | At least 20 years in cask (Frasqueira), bottled in 2023 |
| Alcohol | 20%vol |
| Serving | 18°C, open a few hours in advance Store upright, keeps almost indefinitely once opened |
| Scores | 94/100 Jancis Robinson |
A 1984 Verdelho with 94 points from Jancis Robinson, bottled in 2023.
Tasting note
Clear, deep amber. The nose is not as complex as some, with straightforward but far from unattractive aromas of molasses, toffee apple and quince. Medium-bodied on the palate, with a salty attack and good balance, and walnut, smoke, dried orange peel and tangerine towards the finish.
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.
Elsewhere in Portugal, Verdelho is also known as Gouveio. The grape gives a lightly sweet, medium-dry style, is mainly planted in the north at 400-600 m and ripens late. It is the main ingredient of Rainwater.
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
An excellent aperitif, but also delicious with soups, poultry and game birds such as duck, and foie gras.
The producer
D’Oliveiras (Pereira D’Oliveira) is one of the most traditional Madeira houses and is still owned by the founding family, whose roots lie in São Martinho, above Funchal. Through the purchase of other houses, the oldest of them founded in 1820, D’Oliveiras holds the island’s largest stock of old vintages, going back to 1850. In 1968 the brothers Aníbal and Luís D’Oliveira joined the firm, which then began to export. Since Aníbal’s death in 2017, Luís and Aníbal’s son Filipe have carried on the house.
The house is convinced that Madeira ages best in cask. Old vintages therefore stay in wood, and only as much is bottled as is needed. D’Oliveiras was one of the first on the island to print the bottling year on the back label. The lodge is on Rua dos Ferreiros in old Funchal, in buildings dating back to 1619.
Critics & Awards
94/100 Jancis Robinson