Barbeito, Madeira, 10 Year Old, Verdelho
At long last. I’ve been drinking Barbeito for 3-4 years and haven’t tried Verdelho yet. Cellar Tracker says I have, blogspot begs to differ.
When you’re a teenager discovering music, your romantic side wants to experience scratchy 78 LPs with old jazz and blues sides on them. You want to hear Bessie Smith and Robert Johnson crackle across the room. This goes further back, back to when a multicolored, polyglot bouquet of dried tangerine, roasted walnuts, and antique furniture, soaring on a shot of fresh, citrus acidity that belies years of barrel aging in hot steamy attics, was the only form of sensual release a cultured man could entertain at home. Unless he wanted for discrete company.
Based on my limited experience, one of the great things about Madeiras with any age on them, especially the drier ones (like this and the Sercial), is that the sweetness drops of at the end, like Wily Coyote falling off a cliff, letting the palate cleansing acidity balance the pecan pie finish with flavors akin to fresh toast.
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