A great way to start - 4 lovely Madeira´s!

At the last get together for one of my tasting group we were treated to four Madeira wines that the organizer for the day had bought on the island a couple of weeks before - thanks Håkan! When the wines were poured, some amazing scents just filled the room. As always, a treat to drink good Madeira!

5 year Old Bual, Cossart Gordon
A deep, pure, lovely nose with notes of pan fried nuts, almond paste, pine and some old military chocolate... Very pure and fine.
The taste is tight, young and a touch green with notes of mature yellow apples, chocolate and some nutty aromas. Medium long. Very good.
86p   (tasted 2011/09)

15 year Old Bual, Cossart Gordon
10 years older but a big step up the quality ladder! The nose is very deep, intense and pure with notes of milk chocolate, sweet undergrowth, balsamic vinegar and sweet almonds. Very deep and hauntingly beautiful.
The taste is laser focused with cream and acidity in harmony - mature red apples, chocolate cream, almonds and some detergent (in a very positive way!). The finish lasts over one minute. Very intense. You can sit and sip this one for hours...
93p   (tasted 2011/09)

Centennial Blend, Blandy´s
This blend consists of 25% each of the four major Madeira grapes - Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey, and it has been stored 25 years on casks.
The nose is very deep and mature with notes of burned almonds, autumn leaves and some smoke. A warm, earthy feeling about it. Feels like an old Barolo in some way. Very good, but a little atypical.
The taste is very intense and concentrated with notes of warm earth, honeycoated almonds and some autumn forest fire. Very, very long. An impressive wine but I don´t know if I really like this kind of blends, it becomes somewhat muddled...Well, a very good wine all the same.
90p   (tasted 2011/09)

1969 Bual, Cossart Gordon
Well, this is the real thing! A hauntingly beautiful nose with gorgeous notes of almonds, sweet lime, wet dog, cookie dough, blood grape and perfectly ripe rasberrys. This nose gives me that special tingling feeling down my spine, just stunning!
The taste matches the nose with impressive power, intensity and depth, with notes of mature red apples, balsamic vinegar, toasted almonds and sweet lime. The finish just goes on, and on, and on... Very, very impressive and drop dead gorgeous!
96p   (tasted 2011/09)