Barbeito Madeira Private 90 Year Old Blend (Bottled in )

Openened a couple of days ahead and served at the conclusion of my Iberian tasting and finished later in the week. Rich and medium sweet with nuttiness and dried fruit - mostly figs and dates.

Much more depth than the 20, more subtle, darker toned. but still lively palate, med acidity, long, long understated finish. Finesse.

Beautiful nose with caramel, old wood and nuts. Spiced dried peel and currant. Great interplay between freshness and sweetness. Very persistent on the finish.

New Years with the Ks and Browns : Interesting Madeira with some definite funk on the nose and then showing dried orange, chocolate, toasted almonds. The palate is tasty and long, though lacks just a bit of energy for me. I don't have as much experience with malvasia compared to verdehlo and sercial so maybe I'm just used to the drier and more acidic versions those grapes create. Will be interesting to follow this over time. Another glass tasted on …

Drinks well. A bit of a bite on the finish. Drink

Amber, coffee golden... Nose of prunes, raisins, a hint of VA, lots of sweet dried fruits like figs - honeyed fruit. Smells like a sugary fruit menagerie, but tastes just off dry. Plenty of acidity. Plenty of body and texture, medium long finish. Begs for a fruit flan or a savory pastry- skip the fruit pie or chocolate eclair... Malvasia and dry style Madeira is not my preferred stuff, but this is very, very good. Can't wait to try my …

The Matriarch of Madeira, A Tribute to Dona Manuela Barbeito (Bar Boulud, NYC) : noticeable and almost distracting amount of VA on the nose, but the palate was clean, rich, thick and sweet. Quite a bit of treacle, coffee and burnt sugar. Perhaps it was the power of suggestion, but after Ricardo mentioned that there might have been some rum added in the 70 year old blend, I thought I caught a whiff of rum flavors in this wine as …