2 bottles per lot
Details
FINEST MADEIRA SPANNING TWO CENTURIES
Madeira, "enduring and endearing," long-lived and virtually indestructible. The following wines will be in superb drinking condition and have the added advantage of keeping fresh for weeks after opening. Historically Madeira was not only the fashionable and day-to-day drink of the American colonial and post revolutionary years, but, with claret, featured in James Christie's first-ever sale in December 1766. Madeira made from classic Serical grape is dry to medium dry, Verdelho- which I consider the most versatile to drink- medium, Bual, medium sweet to sweet and Malmsey sweet dessert wines. The rare Bastardo and Terrantez, both difficult, "shy" late ripening varieties are rich and tangy. A note regarding "vintage" and "solera" Madeira. Strictly speaking a vintage Madeira is a wine made in the specified vintage year, matured in cask and either bottled from the cask or stored in glass demijohns after sufficient cask age to be preserved until bottled and marketed. A "solera" starts off life made in the always-stated vintage year, matured in cask but refreshed from time to time with the wine of the same grape variety, style and quality. If life was so simple. In practice, certainly in regard to old Madeiras, it is difficult if not impossible to tell whether a wine is straight unblended vintage Madeira or legitimately refreshed. Christie's present cataloguing policy is therefore not to state "vintage" (unless there is good reason to believe that the wine is entirely of one vintage) but rather simply to indicate the year after the name of the grape. Contrary to many people's perception, true vintage wines are not necessarily superior to soleras; indeed, the latter are frequently more beautiful to drink. For this reason both the following have been catalogued in straightforward chronological order. MB
Sercial Reserva--1862
D'Oliveiras
Level: into neck
2 bottles per lot
Madeira, "enduring and endearing," long-lived and virtually indestructible. The following wines will be in superb drinking condition and have the added advantage of keeping fresh for weeks after opening. Historically Madeira was not only the fashionable and day-to-day drink of the American colonial and post revolutionary years, but, with claret, featured in James Christie's first-ever sale in December 1766. Madeira made from classic Serical grape is dry to medium dry, Verdelho- which I consider the most versatile to drink- medium, Bual, medium sweet to sweet and Malmsey sweet dessert wines. The rare Bastardo and Terrantez, both difficult, "shy" late ripening varieties are rich and tangy. A note regarding "vintage" and "solera" Madeira. Strictly speaking a vintage Madeira is a wine made in the specified vintage year, matured in cask and either bottled from the cask or stored in glass demijohns after sufficient cask age to be preserved until bottled and marketed. A "solera" starts off life made in the always-stated vintage year, matured in cask but refreshed from time to time with the wine of the same grape variety, style and quality. If life was so simple. In practice, certainly in regard to old Madeiras, it is difficult if not impossible to tell whether a wine is straight unblended vintage Madeira or legitimately refreshed. Christie's present cataloguing policy is therefore not to state "vintage" (unless there is good reason to believe that the wine is entirely of one vintage) but rather simply to indicate the year after the name of the grape. Contrary to many people's perception, true vintage wines are not necessarily superior to soleras; indeed, the latter are frequently more beautiful to drink. For this reason both the following have been catalogued in straightforward chronological order. MB
Sercial Reserva--1862
D'Oliveiras
Level: into neck
2 bottles per lot