Rare Wine Co. (Vinhos Barbeito) Madeira Historic Series Thomas Jefferson Special Reserve

Very balanced and luxurious, not too sweet and not too dry. A very special occasion bottle and very pleasurable to drink.

Just delicious. Walnuts, mild glue, golden raisins. Orange peel. Rich palate that has good mid-palate fruit and a nicely dry finish. Don’t get the tobacco on the finish here that was present in past bottles. Penetrating and long. Excellent. (93)

My first Madeira, I believe, and suffice it to say I haven't yet developed a full appreciation for it. Notes of nuts and orange rind. Paired quite well with a rum-forward Christmas cake. That said, for my palate, I would much prefer a tawny or vintage port.

Enjoyed at The Dabney with dessert

By the glass to finish our wine dinner at Chambers, New York. Quite the firm and not giving one, nutty, soft oxidative, good rich feel. Good Madeira for sure but would have liked more magic from it. We guess it’s the style of sercial though. 90

Just fantastic. But note it is significantly better after being opened for 48 hours. Initially delicious but dancing to different tempos. After air, the fig, date, licorice and salted caramel notes dance in unison. The palate has breath, depth and sparkle. Tobacco. Off dry in the best sense. Calls for nuts or cheese. I really dig this - but give it air. It makes all the difference. (94)

While not a wine to gush over, it provided one of the better food & wine pairings for me in recent memory. Served with a moderately sugared cherry almond cake this was the perfect foil, amplifying all the nutty caramelized savoriness without getting tiresome. Really brilliant.

Bottle has been open now for 6 weeks, mostly sitting on my kitchen counter with the cork re-I started. Still wonderful, maybe slightly nuttier than when first opened and slightly less figgy, but largely unchanged.

Popped-and-poured tonight, I expect to enjoy this bottle through most of the summer. Already bright and expressive now with toasted almonds, plenty of figs and dates, with just so much energy and increasing weight through the finish. I am now 1/2 way through a case bought almost a decade ago.

Not super complex, but nonetheless pleasing and interesting. Aromas of toffee, caramel, candied orange and cherry. It's syrupy yet smooth in the mouth, and flavors of cinnamon and nuts are layered on top of the aromas. There's ample supporting acidity as well, preventing it from being solely sweet. Somewhat savory as well.

Delicious young Madeira that I would enthusiastically recommend to anyone getting into Madeira. That said, I feel that if you are looking at Madeira reviews on here, you are probably already pretty into Madeira anyway. In any case, this is really good wine and a relative bargain given the price of Madeira these days. The wine is slightly off-dry but not by much. Complexity is high, with orange peel, salted caramel, grilled nuts, orange marmalade, roasted coffee bean, and trademark …

E: Brown, slight orange tinge. N: Booze. Salted caramel. Faint touch of prune and vanilla. P: Sweet with balanced acid. Plum and prunes salted caramel again. Nougat and nuts. F: Bourbon and caramel. Tart. Praline.

First time with Madeira. Extra Reserve, 15 year. Pale ruby core with clear garnet edges. Made from white grapes (Bual) and heated during the production process to accelerate the aging process.. Aromas and flavors of caramel, burnt brown sugar, sweet dates, dried figs, and orange marmalade. Medium plus acidity provides freshness and supports a strong finish. Perfect with the chocolate cookies.

Barley Swine's Premier Pairing: Austin's Hidden Wine Gems (Austin, TX) : Premier Pairing Menu @ Barley Swine. Before tasting, our server indicated this wine is the result of an effort to encourage Americans to drink more sweet wines, especially Madeira. This because, in colonial times, this type of wine was one of the hottest commodities. Northern colonies preferred sweeter styles and southern colonies preferred dryer styles. This is a sweeter style that is a homage to Boston. Slowly "cooked" for …

Light brown. Oxidized apricots, old barrel, cigar ash nose. Dry stone fruit and orange zest flavours and a long orange finish. Typical Madeira but in a fresher more lively and enjoyable way. I loved it. I served it with a Duck and Fall Vegetable soup.

Fun florals, excellent style, sweet but balanced, true to type.

Toffees and nuts bring the richness, and candied citrus peel bring the lift. A spray of salinity and fresh boal acidity give this a long, lively finish. More air + warmer temps bring out the baking spices and darker notes of caramel and burnt brown sugar. Very nicely priced.

This is the first dry Madeira I am trying. The nose is just spectacular: caramel and sea salt, maybe dark chocolate, light-roast coffee, and petrichor. There are also spices and it makes me think of rye whiskey. Walnut and dried figs. I freaking love this. High acid of course and high alcohol does show. The mouth is less attractive than the nose. But still: spring water, wood, cold-brew coffee, and acorns (???). Dark chocolate and dry caramel on the finish. …

Light, not terribly layered or complex. Felt like a watered down version of what sercial should be—not literally but just not as interesting as I’d hoped.

Pretty nose with brown sugar, almonds, cinnamon, and a bit of orange peel. Palate is slightly sweet, full bodied, well balanced with acidity and a hint of bitterness. Very long finish with sweetness, acidity, and a lovely energy. Really quite nice. Has been my favorite of the rare wine historic series.

I am really enjoying the adventure of getting to know Madeira. I’m still early on the journey, yet am very impressed with this bottling. Deep mahogany color. Penetrating nose that’s filled with fig jam, caramel and roasted honey/nuts. The palate is rich and there is a wave of sweetness on the attack. Then things really get interesting as the sweetness recedes and this wonderful nutty fruit extract takes over. Tobacco. There is great depth and a long finish. I know …

Light amber. Only moderate sweetness. Nutty, gentle fig, excellent acidity, good length. Very good savory Madeira that still works as an after dinner wine.

First Madeira I think. Aromas of caramel, dates, brown butter, like a decadent dessert. Flavor is sherry like in the sort is savory-salty way, but sweet. Some nice to balance.

Great stuff. Wonderful depth of flavor, with just moderate sweetness.

Toasted almonds with dried figs, just seemingly less depth or intensity than previous bottles. Popped-and-poured, this was 87 points tonight, I will see how the bottle evolves over the coming weeks.

Oranges, figs, sweetness - all held together by an electric acidity. Long finish. Hard to keep from reaching for more of this!

This is very good. Needed a few days to open, but then this showed very comparably to a 65-year-old Verdelho I had recently. Strong backbone of acid with good complexity. Maybe just a tad short on the finish, but this is excellent value and a step above the others in the historic series.

ESTG Northern Rhône : I just love Bual, tangy and brothy with that beef/cooked-onion thing. Really nice energy and weight.

Both bright and slightly sweet, showing toasted almonds, dried dates and candied orange peel, with a long, vibrant finish.

Opened yesterday and stored corked in the fridge. Appearance: medium brown colored with some orange. No sediment Nose: medium-intense aromas of caramel and brown sugar with hints of orange. Definitely some charred wood with some coconut oak aromas Palate: medium/medium(+) bodied, medium(+)/high acid, medium sweet, slightly creamy texture, no tannins/phenolics. Medium/medium(+) flavors of caramel, brown sugar, and hazelnuts with notes of candied orange. Well balanced and medium/medium(+) complexity. A medium(+) length caramel and toasted nut finish. A refreshing and enjoyable …

Loved it. Condensed flavors. Caramel overtones. Absolutely delicious.

I enjoy Madeira certain times of the year, mainly when it gets colder in autumn, as the scents and flavors of the wine seem "autumnal" to me, and pair well with foods from this time of year (chestnuts, game birds, mushrooms etc.) I hadn't tasted one of these Rare Wine Co blends in a few years, so I snatched one up on a recent wine-shop excursion. The nose is classic Madeira scents of honey, toffee, nuts, sea air, and the …

Toasted almonds with dried dates, all brightly supported with brightening acidity. So easy to enjoy on its own, with faint sweetness.

nutty aromas, sour, my first madeira so not sure what to expect but not my cup of tea

From a bottle opened a month ago. Toasted almonds with candied orange peel, accompanied by figs and dates. Good balance, good weight, good+ length with moderate sweetness.

Striking copper-iced-tea color, with a rich, complex nose of brown sugar, fig, and orange peel. Palette of nutty caramel, citrus, almonds, and a distinctive salinity. Light-bodied, not syrupy or sweet, but rather a bright acidity into a transcendant, clean finish. The semi-dryness and ample acidity makes this work as an apertif with cheeses or an interesting soup, and the complex caramel nuttiness makes it an equally-inviting after-dinner drink.

Toasted almond with figs, lemon peel and dried apricot. Good weight with a bright, energetic and long-ish finish.

Figs and dates with candied walnuts. Good depth and sneaky good length without seeming particularly sweet until its very finish.

Intense nose shows caramel, brine, dried apricot, sea salt, dried molasses. Palate matches with the brine and apricot, spice from alcohol, cinnamon, bergamom, candied walnuts but drier than most Madeira. Doesn't have any kind of syrupy quality, alcohol holds the finish with the spice, really approachable style. Would be gorgeous with cheese and nuts, meat plate, etc...

Guestimate on when I opened it. Been taking a drag here and there over a month at least. Not as complex as I remembered this bottle being. But I still enjoy it a good deal. Richer and sweeter than I remember. Almost like syrup and figs. Notes of citrus. As weighty as it can feel it's got enough acid. Just maybe not perfectly wedded. The smoky and oxidative overtones make it nice on cold late night.

4 plus months after the prior: Lovely again, again with orange peel, and yes, nutmeg, etc. And we have discovered that we agree with many — here and elsewhere — that this wines (and this in particular) goes beautifully with various vigorous soups that are otherwise hard to match with wines.

Great stuff. Medium dry with smoky notes. Fig, vanilla, light caramel. Light bodied and little sweetness so easy to drink as an aperitif or after dinner.

Toasted almost with orange peel and a touch of figs and dates. Very good weight and balance through long-ish finish.

This was delicious and it improved with some warming to around 70F. We are not experienced Madeira drinkers but really appreciated this wine. Inviting nose but difficult to describe: volatile,burnt orange; fig, nut meg, all spice on the palate, lengthy, satisfying finish. We recorked the bottle and put in our passive cellar for further tasting in October. By the way, paired nicely with turkey soup.

Not the most complex or interesting Madeira, but had interesting spice, nuttiness, orange peel and molasses in the nose, medium sweet and a tart finish. I had the impossible task of selecting a wine to go with carrot cake, and this really worked well!

Our first proper tasting of Maderia in many years — and wow. Beautiful aged and complex nuttiness, framed by lively saline notes. Savory, and quite dry. Marvelous acidity. (At Harbor House, Elk.)

Only 300 bottles released. Ruby with appropriate bricking; nose has moderate aromatics with some nuttiness, slight salinity; palate is high alcohol and shows some heat, very high acidity, lacking a bit of depth or complexity today; finish is medium-plus length but still without depth somehow. This seems like it's a bit sharp today on its first day open, and many of the other notes here suggest it improves with days to a week. 88-89 for today, and much more expensive …

Best port so far. Described as an almost apple pie type taste

Consistent with prior bottle. A tad of brown sugar, not overly complex or long.

Drank over about two weeks. Brown with medium intensity and a nose of molasses and dark chocolate. Medium to medium-light body with sweet cherries on the front and cola and orange citrus mid palate. Some definite heat on the finish. First time tasting madeira, and this piqued my curiosity to try more.

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Rare Wine Co. (Vinhos Barbeito) Madeira Historic Series Thomas Jefferson Special Reserve

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