New Releases from Blandy’s and Cossart Gordon 2024
I am usually among the first to taste latest annual releases from the Madeira Wine Company. This year I received the wines in the early part of the summer just as I was struck by a bout of Covid which left me unable to taste properly for nearly eight weeks. Even madeira with its natural puissance failed to register with my greatly diminished senses. Fortunately my tasting faculties are, I think, back to normal. So, it is with great and renewed pleasure that (after a summer of relative abstinence) I post these notes on a quartet of 2011 colheitas from each of the main white grape varieties and three newly bottled frasqueira (or vintage) wines from the late 1980s. These are a thrilling expression of the grapes they were made from, especially the Terrantez. They are living proof that madeira needs age – tasting these side-by-side you get a great deal more bang for your buck from frasqueira than you do from younger colheita! All the wines were blended by head winemaker Francisco Albuquerque and were bottled in 2024 having been aged in 650 litre casks at ambient temperatures (i.e. canteiro). The wines are listed in the order they were tasted.
Blandy 2011 Sercial Colheita ****
A blend from cooler vineyards on the north side of the island at Seixal and some of the highest vineyards at Jardim da Serra on the south side, just 1,733 bottles produced: pale amber with a pronounced orange glint; gently lifted, appetising savoury almond and hazelnut aromas with a hint of spirit and spice; lithe on the palate rather than austere as is the case with some Sercial, this is fresh and delicate with a streak of greengage acidity (total acidity 7.5g/l) leading to a long, savoury salted pretzel finish. Already very accessible (softened by 50gl/ residual sugar) and a thoroughly uplifting aperitif. 17.5
Blandy 2011 Verdelho Colheita ****
From vineyards in Porto Moniz on the cooler north west corner of the island and Calheta on the south side: pale amber with a glint of orange and olive green on the rim; lovely, welcoming smoky-savoury aromas with a hint of autumnal wood smoke; gentle greengage sweetness with some textural richness on the palate (80g/l residual sugar) offset by a pronounced streak of acidity and a lovely fresh spiced apple finish which goes on and on. Serve cool (c. 15oC) on its own as an aperitif or to accompany chicken consommé. It will also handle gentle spices. 18
Blandy 2011 Bual Colheita ****
From vineyards in Calheta to the west of Funchal on the south side of the island: pale amber-walnut brown; still a bit demure on the nose, certainly in comparison with the previous two wines but showing gentle richness and an attractive, savoury beef-tea character with a touch of cinnamon spice; supremely suave on the palate with lovely savoury textural richness from time in cask and a hint of quince prior to a complete, mouth-filling, yet overall, fresh elegant finish. 95g/l residual sugar and 6.4gl/l acidity. Nicely poised. 17.5
Blandy 2011 Malmsey Colheita ****
Grapes from São Jorge on the north side of the island (Malvasia de São Jorge): pale amber-brown with an orange glint in the light; gentle complexity on the nose, ripe figs with a just hint of rancio from cask ageing at warm ambient temperatures; reassuringly rich with dried fig and Demerara sweetness (120g/l residual sugar) cut by acidity mid-palate (total acidity 7.0g/l) and leaving a fresh, complete but gentle mouth-watering finish. Textbook young (relatively) Malvasia. 18.
Blandy 1989 Sercial *****
Surprisingly the grapes for this wine come from Calheta on the southside of the island but high acidity levels of 10.77g/l suggest early picking and / or high altitude vineyards, just 204 halves and 1137 bottles in total: mid-deep amber brown with an orange-green glint; entrancing sweet and sour perfume with spicy green leaves and great focus and intensity on the nose, I could continue sniffing at this for ever; the sweet and sour theme continues on the palate, bruised apple fruit with intense, spicy richness and focus mid-palate (55g/l residual sugar) and the cutting acidity of freshly picked apples which rises on to the finish. Goes on and on. Not an easy wine initially but one to greatly savour and admire. 19
Blandy 1987 Terrantez *****
Grapes grown at Câmara de Lobos at a time when Terrantez was as rare as hen’s teeth on Madeira. It was virtually extinct soon after, just 1,248 bottles in total: lovely mid-deep golden amber colour; gently lifted, lightly caramelised citrus peel on the nose and a touch of contrasting sour plum, fresh fig and delicate crystalised fruit; glorious bitter-sweet counterpoint on the palate reflecting the nose, Elvas plum and sour cherry with textural richness, depth and a touch of tobacco and all-spice that continues through on to a long, lithe yet complex finish. (95g/l residual sugar and 10.32 g/l total acidity). Great poise. A truly thrilling wine that reflects the brilliance of the Terrantez grape at its very best. It is greatly reassuring that wines like this (unique to Madeira) are still being bottled and released for sale. 20
Cossart Gordon 1989 Bual *****
Bual grapes form Calheta on the south side of the island, the wine made originally at harvest by Ivo Couto; mid-deep nut brown with an olive-green glint on the finish; heavenly aromas, savoury, almost beefy foremost initially, old furniture complexity with a backdrop of blossom and spice slowly rising to the fore; wonderfully textural richness, sweet and savoury with a tang of thick-cut marmalade mid-palate, that marmalade richness and cut of citrus continues through on to the finish which is full and complete. Seemingly quite sweet with 115g/l residual sugar, the acidity (9.05g/l) offsets this and leaves a crystal-clear expression on the finish. Very accomplished Bual. 19
