When our country's founding fathers wanted to toast the Decleration of Independance, they didn’t reach for Champagne—they reached for Madeira. It survived the Atlantic crossing, thrived in colonial cellars, and became so intertwined with early American life that the finest bottlings were literally known as “American Madeira.”
At the center of that story sits Cossart Gordon, founded in 1745—the oldest house in the Madeira trade and one of the most important names ever to ship wine to the New World.

By the mid-19th century, Cossart Gordon was reputed to be exporting half the island’s production, building its reputation on razor-sharp, long-lived Madeiras prized for clarity, structure, and ageworthiness. That lineage continues today in this 2013 Single Harvest Bual Colheita, a current U.S. exclusive and a benchmark expression of one of Madeira’s most misunderstood grapes.

Let’s clear something up: Bual is not dessert wine.
Think texture and depth rather than sugar. Bual lives between Verdelho and Malmsey, delivering nutty richness without heaviness, carried by Madeira’s trademark acidity. In this case, twelve years of slow canteiro aging in old oak—heated naturally in lofts, not rushed by estufagem—has shaped a wine that’s lean, precise, and quietly powerful.

The profile is all tension and polish: topaz in the glass, aromas of toasted walnut, citrus peel, dried apple, and faint toffee—but none of it sweet or sticky. The palate is sharp, saline, and savory, with notes of hazelnut skin, burnt sugar, chamomile, and volcanic minerality, finishing long, dry, and mouthwatering. This is Madeira for Burgundy drinkers and Sherry obsessives—not sugar seekers.

Why You’ll Love It

• One of the oldest and most historically important Madeira houses, founded in 1745

• Single-harvest Bual with serious dryness, lift, and precision

• Essentially immortal: drink now, or revisit for decades

How to Serve It

• Chill lightly (cellar cool, not cold) and serve in a white-wine glass

• Perfect with savory holiday fare: roast poultry, mushrooms, walnuts, sage, brown butter

• Also exceptional with aged cheeses, pâté, or simply contemplative sipping