WTN: I've Got a Small Cask of It Here

1977 Terrantez Reserva Madeira, D'Oliveiras
Terrantez was widely planted on the island of Madeira but was nearly wiped out by the 19th century double whammy of oidium and phylloxera. A small amount of it is still grown. I grabbed a few bottles circa 2000 more out of curiosity than anything else.

I decided to open one soon after I took delivery. Big mistake. The wine was closed-in, forbiddingly acidic, and on the whole downright nasty.

So here we are 25 years later. I decided to try another bottle and was pleasantly surprised. The wine has a deep gold color and an inviting aroma. It has a very pleasant, mouth-filling flavors distinct from verdelho, bual, or any of the other Madiera varieties I've tried. The acidity is lively but not harsh, and there is just a tiny touch of sweetness (or perhaps it's just intense fruitiness; hard to tell which). There is a long, peackcock tail-type finish, and it's there that one realizes that this wine needs more time--the finish is very acidic. Finish aside, enjoyable now but I'd advise giving it another 20 years and then drink it over the next century or two. Double Larry Moe with an extra "Oh, a wise guy, eh?"

-Paul W.

Thanks, I own one bottle of Madeira, the 1988 version of this.

[Finish aside, enjoyable now but I'd advise giving it another 20 years and then drink it over the next century or two. Double Larry Moe with an extra "Oh, a wise guy, eh?"

-Paul W.

High praise indeed!

Thank you for this note. I have a bottle of this wine. I'll be 80+ if I wait another 20 years, so I'll probably open it a lot sooner than that and just give it a long decant.