WTN: Broadbent Bual Madeira 1964

Birthday dinner with wine friends tonight. One of the wines I plan to serve is this birth year Madeira.

Mid shoulder ullage so I was a bit concerned and had a taste to make sure it was OK. Better than OK, in much better shape than I am! Dark olive brown, nuts, raisins, fruit cake, high acidity, not too sweet, and a finish that won't quit. Broadbent Madeira Bual 1964 sourced from Justino Henriques according to the back label.

[Jenise]

How LOVELY, and happy birthday. Interesting how the good Madeira vintages bear little relationship to good port vintages. I own some '54 Terrantez, and nowhere else on the planet was that a good year.

Vintage madeira is practically immortal.

-Paul W.

Vintage madeira is practically immortal.

-Paul W.

Yup. I've had the pleasure of tasting Madeiras back to the late 18th C. (1790s) as well as several in the 19th C. They are as close as you can come to an immortal wine, although they do age, but glacially slowly.

[Jenise]

Bill, do you have any now? My oldest is a 1900, purchased from the Gladstone cellar.

Bill, do you have any now? My oldest is a 1900, purchased from the Gladstone cellar.

No, I drank through (and enjoyed) my old stuff some time ago. I do have some 40 year old Tarragona sweet wine that I'll happily give you a taste of next week when you are over if you remind me.

I still have a couple of bottles of 1834 Bual. I opened one in 2010 to celebrate my dad's passing. Magnificent. The Rare Wine Company has a lot of vintage Madeira for sale.

-Paul W.