1885 Barbeito Malmsey Vintage Madeira sweet
€ 2,500.00
| Producer | Barbeito |
| Region | Madeira |
| Grapes | Malvasia (Malmsey) |
| Ageing | At least 20 years in cask (Frasqueira) |
| Alcohol | 20,6%vol |
| Serving | 18°C, open a few hours in advance Store upright, keeps almost indefinitely once opened |
| Scores | 98/100 Jamie Goode |
An 1885 Malmsey from Câmara de Lobos: 98 points from Jamie Goode.
Tasting note
Mid-brown with green highlights. Butterscotch, molasses and honey, with hints of vanilla, figs, gingerbread, coffee, coconut, caramel and smoke. Unctuous and soft, not overly sweet for a Malmsey, with higher acidity than many other old Malvasias and a lean, long finish. Both contemplative and hedonistic.
The story
Barbeito bought this wine from the Alfonso family. It comes from the vineyards of Câmara de Lobos.
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.
Malmsey gives the sweetest style of Madeira. There are two kinds, Malvasia and Malvasia Cândida, which grows closest to the ocean and is said to come from Greece. A lovely legend tells how the Duke of Clarence chose to drown in a butt of Malmsey rather than die by the sword. Shakespeare often refers to Malmsey, and even Napoleon took some from the island. In the 19th century Malmsey became even more fashionable, with a ‘morning Malmsey’ to start the day. The sweet, early-ripening Malvasia grows only in the south, in low-lying vineyards at 150-200 m, close to the ocean.
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. Crème brûlée and caramel desserts with apple, apricot, pecans, cherries, almonds, hazelnuts, dried figs and vanilla ice cream. Also an excellent companion to a pipe, cigar or aromatic tobacco.
Critics & Awards
98/100 Jamie Goode
Orange brown, with a lovely complex, beguiling nose of sweet raisins, tar and spice. Explosively rich on the palate with lovely acidity, deep, complex and incredibly long, with caramel and spice. Breathtaking.
Orange brown, with a lovely complex, beguiling nose of sweet raisins, tar and spice. Explosively rich on the palate with lovely acidity, deep, complex and incredibly long, with caramel and spice. Breathtaking.