Henriques & Henriques Verdelho 20YO NV (750ml)

Niklas Jorgensen, the walking encyclopaedia on Madeira, posted this note on his great website madaboutmadeira.org. "To produce a twenty years old blended Madeira you need high quality wine. Just taste the wines mentioned above and you will understand. The consumer gets a real indication and taste what twenty years actually does to a good Madeira. The recently released 20 Years Old Verdelho from Henriques & Henriques certainly shows that. Humberto Jardim at H&H has been leading the trend and the Verdelho is such an elegant glass. Again, the trademark of the grape is its ability to retain its fruitiness even with age. Gentle spices, some nutmeg, lime peel, smoky oak and sugar cane syrup. Quite a complex sniff. Let’s gear up! The taste is even better with subtle notes from the oak aging; vanilla, tobacco and walnuts. Then the freshness, the acidity which masks the sweetness. Dust, smoke and walnuts. A dash of ground coffee. Pears in syrup. Long, lingering aftertaste.The H&H Verdelho is of such quality that I’ve actually tasted some vintage wines not reaching the same standard. But then again; Madeira has never been better than it is today. Remember that when staring yourself blind on age sometimes. Don’t forget to pick up wines like the 20 Years Old Verdelho. Otherwise there’s a risk the trend will fall into oblivion and not being produced any longer. Believe me, you don’t want that to happen. The 20 Years Old wines are here to stay!"