TN: 1954 Barbeito Reserva Velha Malvasia

[Jason Brandt Lewis]

1954 Vintage Barbeito Reserva Velha Malvasia Madeira (Madeira DO, Portugal): Bottled in October of 2001, this 1954 vintage wine turned 54 this year, and that symmetry made me think this might be a good occasion; after all, I had just turned 55 . . . and so it was time – with my wife’s permission – to open this bottle, a wedding present from Stuart Yaniger. Decanted earlier that evening, the wine itself had thrown some sediment, but was clear and clean after decanting; the color was a medium coffee, shading to a light brown at the rim; the bouquet is very complex with aromas of toffee, dried apricot, fig, molasses, and more, with an edgy acidity; on the palate, the wine is medium bodied with bright acidity; the moderate sweetness is carried nicely by the wine’s bright acidity; the finish is quite long, and very flavorful. Excellent.

Cheers,
Jason

[David Spriggs]

Sounds like a nice Madeira experience! Good to see you posting here Jason.
-Dave-

[Gary Banker]

This was the first malvasia that I had and seems very consistent. There are several different 1954s out there so you can compare the style differences and grape differences among them. RWC carries several. Since my wife and one of my brothers were born in 1954, I can easily justify buying more.