1993 Reserva Boal

The 1993 Boal has a clean, well-defined bouquet with notes of marmalade, wax resin, nutmeg and walnut that lift nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. There is a core of fine walnut-infused, honeyed fruit, although the finish is too oxidative for my preference. Still, overall this is a pleasant Boal that should age nicely. 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