New Releases from the Madeira Wine Company

The Madeira Wine Company encompasses three leading, historic madeira brands: Blandy, Cossart Gordon, Miles (and Leacock). Now run by Chris Blandy (representing the 7th generation of the family), the MWC take the opportunity to launch their new wines during the wine festival currently taking place on the island of Madeira. I tasted the following wines at the Blandy Wine Lodge and they are listed in the order they were tasted. I have indicated residual sugar levels for each of the wines and, where relevant, total acidity as well. The wines speak for themselves but suffice to say that there are some magnificent new releases here. They reaffirm one’s faith in the splendour and resilience of madeira wine. All the wines below were bottled in 2022.

Miles Colheita 2012 Tinta Negra **/***

The historic Miles brand has recently reinvented itself as a producer of wines from the Tinta Negra grape- see also the 2000 frasqueira wine below. Pale to mid-amber with a golden glint; not very expressive on the nose, savoury aromas with a hint of dried fig; soft and medium rich in style (65g/l residual sugar), smooth and spicy with a hint of hazelnut, cleanly made but just a bit lacklustre when compared to some others in this line up– is this down to Tinta Negra? 14.5

Blandy’s Colheita 2009 Sercial ****

Pale-to-mid amber in hue; attractive, gently lifted nutty aromas with a hint of wood-smoke; incisive on the palate, just as Sercial should be, off-dry (45 g/l residual sugar) with appetising savoury – toasty flavours, citrusy acidity and a touch saline on the finish. Classic Sercial. 17.5

Cossart Gordon Colheita 2009 Verdelho ****

Pale-mid amber with a golden glint: lovely, savoury-smoky aromas, a hint of tea leaf, quite expressive of Verdelho; beautifully clean and incisive, medium dry with a touch of raisiny sweetness (62 g/l residual sugar) offset by a lovely streak of acidity and a long toasty finish. 18

Blandy’s Colheita 2009 Verdelho ****

Very similar to the wine above but perhaps showing little more spirit on the nose and softer and a touch sweeter on the palate (70g/l residual sugar), lovely savoury complexity on the finish. However my own preference is for the slightly drier Cossart Gordon style which seems more incisive. 17

Cossart Gordon Colheita 2006 Bual ****

Mid-amber with a golden glint; lovely ripe aromas, candied orange peel with a hint of greenage and a touch of leathery complexity too; rich and sweet (85 g/l residual sugar) with well-defined dried fig and dried apricot intensity, some gentle malty richness balanced by a fine thread of acidity that extends through the finish redolent of apricot compote. 18

Blandy’s Colheita 2008 Bual ****

Mid-deep amber; open, expressive aromas of figs and dried apricots with a hint of exotic spice and just a touch of rusticity; medium-rich in style (95 g/l residual sugar) with orange marmalade, dried apricots and spice leading into a long, delicate, spicy finish. Lovely balance. 17.5

Cossart Gordon Colheita 2008 Malmsey ****

Mid-amber with a red-copper glint; classic raisins and nuts on the nose with a slightly casky- earthy complexity; soft and rich with flavours of dried figs and raisins, lovely texture showing the resonance of age in cask; rich (115 gl/ residual sugar), spicy and satisfying if a bit straightforward and one dimensional on the finish. 16

Blandy’s Colheita 2007 Malmsey ****/*****

Mid-amber with a coppery glint; lovely leathery complexity on the nose with raisins, dried figs and crystalised fruit; very smooth and suave with, glorious richness (125 g/l residual sugar) offset by a pronounced streak of acidity (7.8 g/l total acidity) with a long, mouth-filling, figgy finish. A classic Malmsey with complexity and poise. 2,600 bottles (75 cl) to be shared by the world. 18.5

Miles 2000 Tinta Negra ****

A wine that qualifies as frasqueira (‘vintage’) having spent over 20 years in cask: mid-deep amber/mahogany with a distinct olive-green rim; rich and dense on the nose with raisiny fruit, bolo de mel (‘honey cake’) and a hint of molasses; soft and seamless on the palate with levitating acidity (8.9g/l total acidity) to offset the straightforward spicy-raisiny sweetness that is characteristic of Tinta Negra, undeniably rich in style overall (but in no way cloying). 17.5

Cossart Gordon 1975 Verdelho *****

This wine was made during the verão quente (‘hot summer’) of the Portuguese revolution from grapes grown on the cooler north coast: mid-deep amber with a reddish glint and olive-green rim; very expressive, lifted but still tight-knit on the nose, classic dried fruit (figs raisins, Elvas plum), nuts, hickory and exotic, peppery spices, perhaps a bit funky but awe-inspiring complexity; savoury, a touch saline (‘salgadinho’) mouthfilling yet taut as well, glorious texture, seemingly off-dry (88 g/l residual) sugar yet rich and intense with a wonderfully spicy, slightly saline finish. High in acidity (10.7g/l) but the wine is so well integrated it doesn’t really show. Idiosyncratic undoubtedly but a ‘wow’ of a wine. About 1,000 bottles in total. 19.5

Blandy’s 1978 Terrantez ****/*****

Mid-mahogany colour with a glint of olive green; lovely savoury-sweet aromas, not that expressive (perhaps that’s the fault of the previous wine) but with a lovely focus, orange marmalade, a hint of greengage, cedar and a touch of camphor; glorious richness and texture (90 g/l residual sugar), candied orange, curry-spice and a bitter-sweet twist with a long, expressive finish. 18.5

Blandy’s 1972 Bual *****

Mid-deep mahogany, olive green rim; lovely, open, expressive, savoury-sweet aromas, dried apricot richness and exotic spicy complexity; smooth and suave, Elvas plums with peppery spice and a touch of salinity, rich (115 g/l residual sugar), complex but very elegant too (9.2 g/l total acidity) with a long, lithe finish. Great poise. 19