1912 Verdelho

Aged for 95 years in the warehouse at Rua Visconde do Anadia, this bottle of 1912 Verdelho was better than the one encountered on the island in April 2010. It was the last family bottling from San Martinho, which was renowned for its Verdelho and is now urbanized. Here, it has a complex bouquet of mandarin, toffee apple, wood resin and a touch of marmalade. The palate is medium-bodied with an elegant entry, very good acidity and a long, bitter orange finish. This is drinking perfectly now and should continue to age over the next 30 to 40-years. It was in 1850 that Joao Pereira d’Oliveira founded his company. He initially sold wines to other shippers, and it was not until the 1970s that they began to sell Madeira wines under their own label (though they continued to sell and buy lots, to and from other shippers.) It is a small company, but there are plentiful stocks of reserve wines. Their policy is to bottle on demand, which means their vintage wines can invariably benefit from extended cask aging. Let us begin with their reserve wines, which are mainly Tinta Negra Mole and are matured under estufugem. Importer: The Rare Wine Company, Sonoma, CA; Tel: (203) 457-1431; Fax: (203) 457- 4471