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D'Oliveira 1968 Bual, Madeira DOC

Item Number: 550

UPC: None

Country: Portugal
Region: Madeira
Appellation/AVA: Madeira DOC
Vintage: 1968
Grape(s): Bual
Type: Wine - Fortified
Bottle Size: 750ml Pack: 1
Closure: T Top
Alc by Vol(%): 19



About Bual: For many Madeira lovers, Buals offer the best combination of richness and elegance. The sweetness of the wine (up to 3.5% residual sugar) is balanced by the tang of acidity; the texture, after suitable maturing, is silky and elegant; in a fine example, the finish is relatively dry and refreshing. The Bual vines, grown up to a quarter-mile elevation, are not very prolific and only small amounts of this classic grape variety are produced.

Tasting Notes: "**** Glorious nose, rich yet delicate, touch of vanilla. Flavor to match. Sweet, excellent acidity." - Broadbent
"An enormously inviting and complex nose, tastes of dried apricots and caramel which suddenly evolve into a surprisingly dry finish. An outstanding wine." - Boveywines.co.uk

Food Pairing: Baklava

About Madeira: The small, steep volcanic island of Madeira off the coast of Portugal was historically an important port of call for ships en route to Africa, Asia, and South America, and, in turn, became an important port of call for sailors to stock up on booze. By the end of the 16th century, the Madeiran wine industry had become an international phenomenon. The wines were originally fortified to help them last through their long sea journeys, but drinkers soon developed a taste for the maturation that the heat and the rolling of the ship provided. The wine became so popular in the North American colonies that it was used to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The major grapes in Madeira are Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, and Malvasia, each vinified to a unique style and level of sweetness. Long ship journeys are no longer used for aging, but rather, the estufa method is often employed, in which hot water circulates through a coil in the middle of a steel tank, heating the wine for 90 days, or the wine is stored in a room with steam pipes for 6 months to a year. The finest madeiras, though, are made without any heating besides the sun and time (20 years!). Madeira is decidedly unique, and quite probably the world’s longest living wine.

Reviews
D'Oliveira 1968 Bual, Madeira DOC
Rating: 94

This is a really complex and classy bottle of Bual that is very pure and expressive, as it offers up a deep and vibrant nose of orange peel, golden raisins, heather, a beautifully complex and very salty base of soil, spiced meats and a lovely dollop of rancio as a topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with a fine core of fruit, excellent focus and grip and a very long, bright and perfectly balanced finish where the sweetness is effortlessly carried by the ripe and very well-integrated acids. Lovely juice. I should note that I tasted this same wine from an earlier bottling back in 2011 and liked the wine very much at that time, but gave this more recent bottling tasted at the lodge a point higher score, which I think underscores how these wines get incrementally better with each subsequent bottling at the domaine. 2014- 2100.

- John Gilman View from the Cellar (3/1/2014)

D'Oliveira 1968 Bual, Madeira DOC
Rating: 87

The 1968 Boal appears to show a lot of bottle variation. This recent sample has a light bouquet of beeswax and dried quince although it is not quite as clean as I would like. The palate is better with orange rind, marmalade and mandarin. It is quite masculine for a Boal, strict but focused on the sedate finish. 

- The Wine Advocate (8/31/2012)

D'Oliveira 1968 Bual, Madeira DOC
Rating: 94

Produced from the southwest part of the island and spending over 40-years in old oak casks, this '68 was bottled in 2009 and is far superior to previous bottlings. This has a very sensuous nose, well defined and tightly wound, unfurling to reveal molasses, quince, scorched earth and a touch of leather. Very subtle. The palate is mediumbodied with good tension, fine acidity and balance, very subtle towards the finish with dried orange peel, nutmeg, a sprinkle of cardamom and walnut. Harmonious and graceful, this is a beautiful d'Oliveira. - Neal Martin, Wine Journal

- The Wine Advocate (4/1/2010)

D'Oliveira 1968 Bual, Madeira DOC
Rating: 93

The 1968 D'Oliveiras Reserva Boal is a medium-bodied, elegant wine that features high-toned aromas and flavors, with subtle notes of smoke and tar adding complexity. This is an unusually understated showing for the 1968 Boal

- The Wine Advocate (11/1/2008)