Winemaker Notes
Bright crystalline topaz color with greenish highlights. The bouquet is very exuberant and notes of spices are very evident. Flavors of citrus, chutney, citrus fruit crystallized, notes of roasted oak. In the mouth it’s dry, fresh and citric, with a long aftertaste with strong notes of exotic woods, spices, and old brandy.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The just-released 1980 Sercial from Blandy's is showing very well, opening in the glass with aromas of toasted walnuts, candied peel, white tea, orange oil and aromatic bitters. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with racy acids, excellent tension at the core and a long, sophisticatedly saline finish. This Sercial spent 36 years in barrel, and 202 cases were produced.
A steep, volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean that rises to over 6,000 feet at its highest point, Madeira actually sits closer to Morocco than Portugal, the country to which it belongs.
Today the vineyards of the island cover tiny step-like terraces called poios, carved from the basalt bedrock. Aptly named Madeira, this fortified wine comes in two main styles. Blended Madeira is mostly inexpensive wine but there are a few remarkable aged styles. Single varietal Madeira (made from Sercial, Verdelho, Boal or Malmsey), is usually the highest quality and has the potential to improve in the bottle for decades.