Winemaker Notes
Charleston Sercial celebrates the refined Madeiras prized by early Charlestonians. With its nutty, tangy flavors, and its relative dryness, it is a wonderful aperitif and superb with soups, cheeses and other foods.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The Historic Series are simply great Madeiras at reasonable prices. The Charleston Sercial is the driest of the collection, offering nutty aromas tinged with honey, caramel and maple syrup. Dried figs, honey and candied citrus flavors mark the palate, which is wonderfully smooth. The long finish features racy yet balanced acidity.
Editors’ Choice
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Charleston Sercial (Rare Wine Company) is also showing nicely, delivering scents of orange oil, dried white flowers, beeswax, walnuts and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it's bright and precise, with tangy acids cloaked in a fleshy core of fruit, concluding with a long, off-dry finish. This is the driest wine in the Rare Wine Company's historic series and the bottling that would best lend itself to pairing with savory dishes.
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Wine Spectator
Chamomile and Earl Grey tea notes accent the flavors of dried apple, tangerine and pineapple in this flinty style. Shows slight hints of matchstick, featuring a finish filled with citrus zest and plum sauce details. Drink now through 2028.
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.