2009 Verdelho Colheita
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Tasting notes
The 2009 Blandy’s Colheita Single Harvest Verdelho (2022 Bottling), which contains 70g/L residual sugar, has a light, grilled hazelnut and quite ume nose, where I would like to see a little more vigour, though appealing touches of dried apricot and fig are revealed with time. The palate has a subtle viscous texture on the entry, crisp acidity with a tangy marmalade. Menthol and Chinese 5-spice combine effectively on the finish that appears to possess more persistence than the Sercial. Delicious. 2,600 bottles produced.
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Average Score
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Tasted from a 5-cl mini sample bottle. TA 7.45 g/l, pH 3.38, VA 0.45 g/l, RS 70 g/l. Harvest winemaker and bottling winemaker Francisco Albuquerque. Bottled 2022. 2,600 bottles. Sandalwood, wild sage, bitter marmalade. Aromas that weave fluently into the palate, but also an unexpected flirtaceousness of delicate florals and cherry-ripe sweetness, dried pineapple, lemon cough sweets, tamarind tang and sandalwood dust. The wine winds satin scarves through the spaces between fruit and spice, creating whorl-grained iridescence of texture and flavour, catching light and sifting it through the shadows. The finish slips in satin-smooth, orange-gold, cinchona-striped – both aciculate and rippling like a ribbon in the wind. Breath-catching, so long you could lose yourself. (TC)