Leecock "A" Madeira -- Why so cheap?

[Andy Dremeaux]

Topic says it all. What's the story? I read Roy and Marco's notes from the tastings and it seems like a fine bottle, and for the purported age the price seems unreal.

[Eric Ifune]

Could be there's quite a bit of it so that keeps the price down. I had it at the San Francisco tasting. A nice tipple, but not quite classic tasting, thus the thought it might be an old aguardente.

[Roy Hersh]

Eric, had it not been said aloud, would you have ever doubted this was a full fledged Madeira?

[Moses Botbol]

What's the story with this Madeira? I am unfamiliar.

[Eric Ifune]

Part of the Leacock collection, sold by the last heir in some quantity in London a few years ago. The Rare Wine Co. bought much of it and sponsored a tasting in San Francisco and New York a couple of years ago. Some of the wine is still for sale by RWC.
The "A" had a big A stenciled on the bottle but no other information. If I remember the discussion correctly, Micheal Broadbent thought this an old Sercial. I thought it like a weakened Cognac and not very Sercial-like, but I still enjoyed it. My guess was an odd Verdelho but when Mannie said he thought it might be an old aguardente, the light went off in my head and it made perfect sense to me.