H.M. Borges, Canteiro Verdelho 1860
Madeira
U. into-neck, stencilled bottle, slightly bin-soiled Christie's back label, rebottle and recorked in 2020

From the private reserve of the Borges family. This vintage was 12 years before Phylloxera arrived on Madeira. The grapes for this wine came from Quinta de San Antonio, the production must have been quite limited as the vines then were still recovering from Oidium.

Tasting note: First tasted this wine in April 2014 from a bottle that was opened earlier during the Borges family Christmas. Already then it left a strong impression. Sweet caramel nose of expression with fudge tones, all fresh with slight spirit tone. Medium sweet, rounded taste, pleasant and creamy. Very fine. At the Borges lodge.
Then more than six years later a second bottle opened from the small private family reserve especially in preparation for the unique auction offer we were setting up.
Refined nose, softly sweet with floral tones and fudge aromas. Beautifully perfumed, quite subtle and a touch uplifting.
Soft mouth filling medium dry start of taste, evolving and filling out nicely. High straw like notes over an elegant mid with fine returning fudge aromas. Lovely soft sweet after taste with very good acidity. The refined lace like texture makes this Madeira a wonderful, pleasant wine to drink with a long fine finish.
Even after the old TN this stood out.
A day later from the same bottle. Soft open nose of subtle fudge notes with some vintage wax. Quite refined and showing as well as the previous day. A soft creamy start of taste, pleasantly sweet and lingering. Very good intensity in a lace like texture. All so beautifully balanced. Great Madeira of refinement. An absolute joy of seductiveness, elegance, and richness. Heavenly. 96 points. Last tasted 8 July 2020. Edwin Vos
1 Bottle (75cl) per lot