1973 D'Oliveiras Verdelho Madeira
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Probably around 80 g/l residual sugar. Light foxy brown. Nutty and burnt sour caramel on the nose. Even with this amount of RS, it’s the acidity that wins. Sour freshness of dried apricot fruit, not as fresh in flavour profile as the Blandys though the acidity seems higher. Super-intense if a little less polished. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Colour of walnut skin. Lifted aroma of both nuts and dried apricots but maturing into more complex fragrance that is so hard to describe. Nutty on the palate, high-wire acidity is perfectly balanced by the complex richness and medium-dry level of sweetness. Sour apricot and bitter orange on the finish. Long, perhaps very slightly aggressive at the end. (JH)
Pungent and yet with some richness, tough end. (JR)
D'Oliveira's 1973 Verdelho Riserva was an inspired match to the hen egg custard. The richness of the wine, much of which comes from its aging, paired beautifully with the silkiness of the Périgord truffle ragout. Today it is easy to forget that Madeira was once served at the dinner table, rather than after the meal, as is now much more common.