Barbeito, Verdelho Madeira

95% Verdelho, 5% Sercial. Saline nose with lemon zest and green plum. Light bodied and very fresh. Slightly savoury on the finish.

A blend of 96% Verdelho from the South coast (Raposeira) and the North coast (Sao Vicente / Seixal), with 4% Sercial from Seixal. Grapes harvested at the end of September. Verdelho grapes foot trodden and given 3 days of skin maceration in lagares. Sercial direct (pneumatic) press. Cold fermentation in stainless steel (10-15C), 30% of the Verdelho aged for six months in new French oak. A total number of 2,524 units were bottled on 13 November 2018, with TA 6.70 …

Slightly grassy, minty and sweet smell of pears (Duchesse d�Angoul�me), simple yet strong. Soft, very light, mineral, bit herbal and fresh, if rather simple. Gentle acidity. Stronger aftertaste with some green apple and grapefruit. Resembling lighter versions of Gr�ner Veltliner. Nice summer wine.

Kind of like sauvignon blanc, except good. The nose is slightly tropical and shows a pleasant tartness, with just a hint of sweetness too. This is green but not in the nasty sense; it's just cool and refreshing. The palate, while it feels really simple, does have a lovely volcanic kick to it. Eminently light and drinkable, this would have been far more enjoyable in the heat of summer, but it's no slouch of a wine now either.