95-Points by CellarTracker.
The fortified wine is aged in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. Bottled in 2016, after 87 years of aging in a cask. "Meio doce", (medium sweet) according to the bottle.
A rich bouquet of molasses, espresso roast, caramel, confit citrus and nutmeg introduces the 1929 Tinta Negra Medium Sweet Madeira, a deep, full-bodied, intensely sweet and pungently sapid wine of reduction-like concentration. Long and intense, this is impressively virile!
D'Oliveiras is an independent Madeira wine producer, located in Funchal on the island's south coast. It was founded in 1850 by Joao Pereira d'Oliveira and today is well-known for having an expansive library of old and rare Madeiras from the family's São Martinho vineyards.
The cellar boasts vintages of Verdelho dating back to the company's founding in 1850 as well as Malmsey, Bual and Sercial wines dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. There are also old vintages of Terrantez and Bastardo, rare grape varieties that are now almost extinct on the island.
Madeiras are aged in cask at D'Oliveira's cellars, which were built in 1619, and produces some 150,000 liters of wine annually. Wines aged up to 10 years go through the Estufagem process, where the wine is heated in steel tanks to give it the characteristic caramelized flavor. The best wines, those aged for more than 15 years, are heated in barrels in warm, sun-drenched buildings. This is known as the Canteiro process.
D'Oliveiras produces three-, five-, ten- and 15-year-old Madeiras, but the company's best Madeiras are rare, high-quality wines aged for a minimum of 20 years. Bottling is only done according to demand which allows D'Oliveira the ability to age and mature Madeiras in cask for the longest possible amount of time.
Today, the company is run by 5th generation family members Aníbal D'Oliveiras and Luís D'Oliveiras.
Madeira
A steep, volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean that rises to over 6,000 feet at its highest point, Madeira actually sits closer to Morocco than Portugal, the country to which it belongs.
Today the vineyards of the island cover tiny step-like terraces called poios, carved from the basalt bedrock. Aptly named Madeira, this fortified wine comes in two main styles. Blended Madeira is mostly inexpensive wine but there are a few remarkable aged styles. Single varietal Madeira (made from Sercial, Verdelho, Boal or Malmsey), is usually the highest quality and has the potential to improve in the bottle for decades.
D'Oliveiras, Tinta Negra Medium Sweet, Madeira, Portugal 1929, 2oz Glass
Style
DessertVintage
1929
