1957 Blandy Boal Vintage Madeira medium sweet
€ 500.00
| Producer | Blandy's |
| 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 | 95/100 Wine Enthusiast |
A rare 1957 Boal, the perfect gift for a birthday or anniversary.
The story
Blandy’s 1957 Bual Vintage is a special wine, available only in very limited quantities: a perfect gift for anyone born in 1957 or celebrating a wedding anniversary.
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.
The producer
For over 200 years, Blandy’s has stood for quality Madeira. The family has played a leading role in the development of Madeira wine and still lives on the island, keeping up a tradition that dates back to 1811. From 1989 to 2011 the Symington family held a majority stake in the Madeira Wine Company, to which Blandy’s belongs. In 2011, its bicentenary year, the Blandy family regained control, with Symington keeping a minority stake. Since 2024 the company has been led by Chris Blandy, the seventh generation.
Critics & Awards
95/100 Wine Enthusiast | Tasted: Jan 2018
Reviews
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