I had this wine at some point in 2007 and remember not being too happy with the experience but feared that it was from an off bottle as it was out of harmony.
This is a much better experience and I have been intentionally sipping this for a week now (3 ounces at a time). I am a fan and must admit this is pretty darn good given its youth and the fact that there is a fine sense of the Sercial grape here. The nose is exotic and the finish is pretty good too. Lots of acidity here and for those that are not acid freaks, avoid this one. Since I am, this is really hitting my pleasure zone although I am not done with my TN for the upcoming newsletter, I am between a 91-92 points, so far. I haven't checked the price, but if it is sub-$150 it would certainly be worthwhile and might convince me to go to the upper score.
I really enjoyed a taste of this wine earlier this year:
1978 Barbeito Madeira Sercial - Portugal, Madeira (2/28/2011) Barbeito Madeiras: The 65th Anniversary Celebration (The Modern, NYC): A fantastic nose that just screamed of freshly zested citrus fruits. The palate offered up dried fruits, vanilla, crème brulee, hazelnuts and slight volatile acidity. The finish was shockingly dry – Sahara desert dry. While not for everyone, I adored this wine's complexity, precision, energy and focus. The finish was long and mouth puckering. My kind of Sercial. Yum. (94 pts.)
, but it was very well balanced.