Blandy's Sercial Madeira 1980 (750ML)

97 DE / 17.5 JR / 94 WA / 94 VM

Platinum Medal 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards

Full yet lithe, showing very inviting aromas of pecan, pastry and burnt citrus peel with delicate mirabelle plum. A tangy dryness belies the sugar level, and there's a lovely saline finale to the fig and dried apricot palate. - Decanter

Frasqueira. Matured in American oak for 36 years. Bottled 2019. VA 1.3 g/l, TA 10 g/l, pH 3.3, RS 55 g/l. 96 half-bottles, 768 bottles, 45 magnums, 22 jeroboams and three 18-litre bottles filled.
Mid amber. Distinctive, unusual nose – woodsmoke notes but with a green-melon-like core and something that reminds me of rooty gin botanicals. Piercing acidity cuts through a comparatively rich sweetness, for a Sercial. Saline and powerfully smoky – lots of concentration and power on the palate, with a roasted nut finish. Lots of length. Definitely different, even if it isn’t the most elegant! Tim Jackson MW, Jancis Robinson

The just-released 1980 Sercial from Blandy's is showing very well, opening in the glass with aromas of toasted walnuts, candied peel, white tea, orange oil and aromatic bitters. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with racy acids, excellent tension at the core and a long, sophisticatedly saline finish. This Sercial spent 36 years in barrel, and 202 cases were produced.—William Kelley, The Wine Advocate