1981 Barbeito Verdelho Vintage Madeira medium dry
€ 370.00
| Producer | Barbeito |
| Region | Madeira |
| Grapes | Verdelho |
| 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 | 17,5/20 Jancis Robinson |
A 1981 Verdelho: fruity, honeyed and well balanced.
Tasting note
A fruity style with a fine balance between acidity and sweetness, without the high acidity of Sercial. Dried fruit, some nuts and honey on the nose, sometimes a little coffee and chocolate on the palate.
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.
Critics & Awards
17,5/20 Jancis Robinson | Tasted: Apr 2010
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