1997 Broadbent, Malvasia Madeira, Single Cask #235
Madeira, Portugal 1997 (500mL)
Regular price$100.00
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1997 Broadbent, Malvasia Madeira, Single Cask #235
Because of its sentimental ties to American history—coupled with the fact that it is fascinating and delicious wine—Madeira’s resurgence is one of the most thrilling wine movements of our generation. One of the main instigators of this revival is Bartholomew Broadbent (along with his friendly rival, Mannie Berk of the Rare Wine Company). After spreading the message of Port wines in the 1980s, Bartholomew helped re-introduce Madeira to the United States in 1989 and established his own import company, Broadbent Selections, in 1996.
Unprecedented at the time, “Broadbent” Madeira was the cornerstone of the portfolio, inspired by his famous wine-critic father, Michael (who called Madeira his “desert island wine”), and the family’s many excursions to the volcanic chain of Portuguese islands. Through the years, the family formed a special relationship with Justino’s, one of only eight registered wineries on the island. The Justino’s cellars are vast, containing one of the largest inventories of cellared wines, and today’s vintage bottling was originally conceived some 22 years ago, when Bartholomew tasted every cask of 1997 Malvasia in the Justino’s cellars. This is an example of the Frasqueira, or Garrafeira, style of vintage-dated wine, which must spend 20 years in wood, then 2 years in bottle before release. Broadbent’s patience has paid off handsomely, and we were thrilled to obtain a precious few bottles to share with you today. I guarantee this is one of the most profound sips of wine you’ll ever have, and you need not finish the entire bottle in one sitting—Madeira is famously shelf stable, so you can revisit it over several occasions if you like. But I doubt it will come to that: This lightly sweet, exceptionally complex nectar is a genuine joy to drink.
If you serve this 1997 too cold, you will fence in its heady aromas, so stay in the 60-degree range. And don’t use a glass with a wide lip, which will exaggerate the alcohol; use something like this, which will make a world of difference. In the glass the wine is glossy brown, moving to a light amber rim. Upon the first smell, you immediately get sucked into the wine’s pinwheel of aromas—dark toffee, roasted chestnuts, dried fruit cake, almond, salty caramel, bitter cocoa, and beurre noisette. On the palate, the wine is silky, almost buttery, but floats with Madeira’s classic nutty tang, saline cookie crunch. The aftertaste lingers for minutes, a sign of serious complexity and mastery—fortified or not. Today’s offering is perfectly enjoyed by itself (meditative and strong), but with Thanksgiving around the corner, I’ve got pies on my mind. Instead of the typical pecan pie, try a twist with walnuts, which complement Malvasia’s attractive nutty tone. The attached recipe might be English, but use California walnuts, raise a glass of 1997 Broadbent Malvasia, and make it American! Cheers!
Unprecedented at the time, “Broadbent” Madeira was the cornerstone of the portfolio, inspired by his famous wine-critic father, Michael (who called Madeira his “desert island wine”), and the family’s many excursions to the volcanic chain of Portuguese islands. Through the years, the family formed a special relationship with Justino’s, one of only eight registered wineries on the island. The Justino’s cellars are vast, containing one of the largest inventories of cellared wines, and today’s vintage bottling was originally conceived some 22 years ago, when Bartholomew tasted every cask of 1997 Malvasia in the Justino’s cellars. This is an example of the Frasqueira, or Garrafeira, style of vintage-dated wine, which must spend 20 years in wood, then 2 years in bottle before release. Broadbent’s patience has paid off handsomely, and we were thrilled to obtain a precious few bottles to share with you today. I guarantee this is one of the most profound sips of wine you’ll ever have, and you need not finish the entire bottle in one sitting—Madeira is famously shelf stable, so you can revisit it over several occasions if you like. But I doubt it will come to that: This lightly sweet, exceptionally complex nectar is a genuine joy to drink.
I said that Bartholomew helped “re-introduce” Madeira because, of course, this fortified wine has deep roots in American history. If you were living in the United States during its infancy, chances are you were drinking Madeira. The wines, fortified with grape spirit to withstand the rigors of shipping, fared better than the still wines of France on the long trips across the Atlantic to the British colonies. In the second half of the 18th century, Madeira gatherings were widespread up and down the East Coast. Legendary presidents, including George Washington, oenophile Thomas Jefferson, and even Barack Obama have ushered in special occasions with Madeira. In its way, Madeira is as “American” as Napa Valley Cabernet, Kentucky Bourbon, or Yuengling beer.
The Malvasia grape, the sweetest of the native varieties grown on Madeira, produces wines of luscious concentration and unsurpassed distance on the palate. When bottled from a single, superior vintage, it is arguably the greatest expression of fortified wine, rivaling only the highly collectible bottles of Vintage Port. These grapes, located in the northwest region, are a result of long-term relationships with several growers. From vines averaging 25 years of age, the grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and pressed, followed by fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Then, the fermentation is stopped by the addition of a neutral grape spirit (brandy), which raises the alcohol level to about 19% while preserving natural sweetness. After fermentation, the wine follows the natural oxidative aging process called canteiro, resting in neutral 650L American oak casks in the old warehouses, where the indirect warmth of the sun gently “maderizes” the wine, creating its unique flavors of dark toffee and caramel. Today’s bottle represents cask #235, one of only 970 bottles, from one of the great fortified wine vintages of the late 20th century, 1997.
Even though Malvasia produces the sweetest, most age-worthy styles of Madeira, it is far from cloying, buoyed as it is by its amazing acidity; its signature oceanic zest; and tangy spice. The wine is deep amber color, yet it is not as sweet as a Sauternes or Tokaji. We tend to associate a darker-colored wine with being ultra-rich, and therefore very sweet, but that is a misnomer. For example, today’s wine contains 88 grams of sugar/liter with a pH of 3.3, versus Château d’Yquem 2014, for example, which has 134 grams of sugar/liter with a pH of 3.6.