We happy that Bernard, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Bernard writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Bernard writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Bernard's notes from August 6, 1999:

1937 d'Oliveira Sercial--Medium color. Citrusy, alcoholic bouquet showing nuts, ripe melon, sweet dry fruit and raisins. Very delish. Serious acid bite. Dry orange peel, caramel. Smooth. Long and elegant classy finish. 93/100

1954 Leacock Terrantez--Cloudy, medium color. Smells like Gilroy in summer. Onion, burnt rubber, old gym socks. Less sweet than first wine. Very acidic, bit tart finish. Very young. Tastes strongly oniony, vegetal. But not so overpowering. I can detect a core of fruit that hints at a better future,  though that will probably be after my lifetime. 85(+?)

1862 d'Oliveira Sercial--Darker color. Delicate refined nose. Citrus, petrol, shellac. Tastes petrolly. Good acidic finish. Very rich mid-palate. Almost chewy finish. Dark fruit, dried stone fruits. Very long. Very perky acidity on finish. 90

1929 Barbeito Verdelho--Medium dark. Big caramel, burnt sugar nose. Somewhat funky stewed tomatoe aroma with floral undertones. Sweeter attack than the sercials. Raisiny, acidic, with mid-palate of citrus, caramel. 89

1905 d'Oliveira Verdelho--Dark. Intense dark dry fruit, raisiny nose. More onion, shoe polish. Smooth, round, lush, concentrated fruit. Nectarine,  mandarine, brown sugar. Long finish with bitter edge. Superb. Dense concentrated flavor. Very complex. 93

1922 d'Oliveira Bual--Very dark. Dense, dark bouquet. Very concentrated, dense, intense blast of flavor. Bit bitter in mid-palate and finish, but really lovely. Citrus, burnt sugar. Nose of treacle. Some heat on finish. Needs time. 92(+?)

1863 Barbeito Bual--Very dark. More delicate, petrol, perfumy. Some onion. Delicious. Smooth, balanced, refined. Delicate acidity. Slight funky flavor on the attack. Otherwise seemless. 93

1827 Quinto do Serrado Bual--Medium dark. Refined, elegant fruity nose. Bit drier than other two buals. Orange, caramel. Very complex, very long. Manny Berk says this one is past its prime (maybe 50 years past), but it should  still be drinking nicely for another 50 years. So if you got it, drink up. 94(-)

1920 Favilla Vieira Malvasia--Dark. Onion, burnt sugar, orange peel bouquets. Sweeter than bual. Lush, deep, complex. Rich, balanced, lovely. Bit alcoholic but great depth. 94

1920 Blandy's Malmsey--Cloudy, dark. Sweet chocolate, cinnamon nose. Lighter flavor and texture than Favilla Vieira, but very long. More citrus, nuts. Really wonderful. Chewy long finish. 95

1900 Barbeito Malvasia--Dark. Very smelly onion, chocolate. Smooth, deep, dark,  dried stone fruit, coffee, tobacco. Very complex. Complete. A great wine.  Displays a delicate finish with good length. 95

1834 Barbeito Malvasia--Dark. Beautiful nose of gianduia, chocolate, nutella. Brilliant bouquet. Absolute perfection. Smooth, balanced, rich, refined silky texture. Coffee, tangerine, hazelnut. Very complex. Superb. Profound even. 97

1795 Barbeito Tarrantez--Lighter than the malvasias. Petrol, caramel, toffee, espresso nose. Shows aromas of cloves, allspice, medicine chest. Very rich, deep, high acid core. Really magnificent. Perfect. Seriously long. Complex,  seemless. Multilayered. Finishes with great length. Truly profound. 99

1900 d'Oliveira Moscatel--Deep dark color. Brilliant nose. Very forward, evocative. Coffee, toffee. High acid. Extremely long. Very much like a PX without the thick sugary coating. A spectacular way to end a meal. 98

A weak attempt at a bloody pulpit; the wines speak for themselves.

There's more bang for the buck in old Madeira than any other wine, IMHO. Consider... you can pay $350 for Bryant Family Cab and the bottle will be history in an hour. Or you can get a bottle of history (say the 1900 Barbeito Malvasia) for $100 less, a little will go a long way, and it will last weeks. There'll always be another great vintage of Bordeaux, or CA cab, to go chase. These great Madeira will never be made again. Once the current, very limited supply is consumed, you'll never be able to get these wines again. Bryant? Barbeito? You pick.

And considering that these wines are extremely rare, some numbering perhaps in the tens or hundreds of bottles, if they were Bordeaux they'd be priced in the thousands of dollars.

About half the wines tasted were "WOW" wines, and two or three were profound, the best examples of Madeira that can be obtained today. I kept hoping through the early flights that the real essence of Madeira, that ethereal quality I had anticipated, would show itself in these wines. Finally, in the last flight, it  did. Spectacular.

The 1795 Terrantez (produced when George Washington was president!) is a mind- blowing wine. And it still has a liveliness that bespeaks immortality. Amazing.

Do not pass up the chance to go to a Madeira tasting if the opportunity presents itself. It may be the only chance you get to experience what these wines have to offer.