1950 Madeira Malvazia, Julio Barros
Deep copper color. Closed in very tight when uncorked. Almost no aroma, shy fruit but lots of rough, astringent acidity. Long astringent finish. I didn't bother with the nitrogen dispenser. A glass I poured the next day had opened up a lot and now had complex aromas of caramel and citrus peel. Mouth-filling flavors that follow the aroma, along with pleasant sweetness and again astringent acidity. Long, rough finish. I'd give this one another twenty to fifty years in the bottle. If I thought I'd live that long, that is. Next time I'll be sure to decant the wine, put the stopper in the decanter, and shake it vigorously for a minute or two. Then let it sit for a day or two before drinking. Triple Moe.
The bottle doesn't have a producer's label. It just has "1950 JB Madeira Malvazia" stenciled in white on the bottle. There is an importer's label on the back with the BATF-required information--importer's name and address and Surgeon General's warning. It was brought in by the Rare Wine Company in California. I have the producer's name in my records as "Barros". The producer's full name seems to be "Julio Barros".
-Paul W.