Barbeito, Verdelho Reserva Velha Madeira

Nose: dry fruits, nutty, caramel Palate: nuttyness, dried cherry, huge finish, caramel, burnt sugar, toasty, almost port-like, crazy complex

Clos de tarts and Vintage Madeira Tasting at John V.'s : John popped and poured this for comparison. A bit lighter in color, more like iced tea. The nose had more alcohol, less orange, a bit of chocolate and less coffee. It took some swirling to get the alcohol to smooth out a bit, but then this was glorious as well. John was a bit disappointed with this, and I think and hour or two in a decanter would help …