1975 Cossart Gordon Verdelho Vintage Madeira
€ 375.00
| Producer | Cossart Gordon |
| Region | Madeira |
| Grapes | Verdelho |
| Ageing | 29 years in American oak (canteiro) |
| Alcohol | 20%vol | pH: 3.46 |
| Serving | 14-16°C, open a few hours in advance Store upright |
| Scores | 92/100 Roy Hersh |
A 1975 Verdelho: 29 years in canteiro, only 2,667 bottles.
Tasting note
An intense, complex and characteristic bouquet of dried fruit, wood and orange peel. Medium dry and fresh, with a long, delicious finish.
The story
A single-harvest Madeira. Only 2,667 bottles were released.
The wine aged for 29 years in American oak casks using the traditional canteiro system. The casks moved gradually from the warm upper floors of the lodge to the middle floors and finally to the cooler ground floor. The wine was racked and tasted regularly and bottled once it reached the desired maturity.
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
As an aperitif, or with oxtail soup (served alongside, not in it), cream of shrimp or asparagus soup, lobster with tarragon vinaigrette, Caesar salad, smoked duck with mango chutney, pigeon with macadamia and star anise or Peking duck. Also good with hazelnuts, quark and aged, sweet or nutty cheeses, smoked salmon, prawn cocktail with Granny Smith, mussels and sardines. It suits almost any meat, from chicken and duck to pork and steak, and is a classic with smoked ham. A Madeiran speciality: swordfish with banana and passion fruit, or grilled pineapple.
Critics & Awards
92/100 Roy Hersh (For the Love of Port) | Tasted: Mar 2005
Gold – International Wine Challenge 2012
Reviews
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