BLANDY’S COLHEITA BUAL 2003

The Blandy’s are unique in being the only family of all the original founders of the Madeira wine trade to still own and manage their own original wine company, maintaining a tradition that goes back to 1811. The family’s vintage Madeira collection is unrivalled and their vintage room has been described as a “cathedral of wine”, storing wines dating back to the 18th century.

VARIETAL

The 2003 harvest was an unusually dry one, experiencing just one day of rain in August and not a single drop more until October. For this reason it is widely considered to have been an exceptional year. It proved to be especially propitious for Bual, with a large production of the grape. Overall, 2003 was considered to have been excellent for the varietal.

AGEING

Blandy’s Colheita Bual 2003 was aged for 13 years in seasoned American oak casks and as with all the family’s vintages, this wine started its ageing process in the warm high attic floors of the lodge in the centre of Funchal. Over the xx years, the wine passed down from the warmer top floor of the Blandy’s Wine Lodges, the “Sotão de Amendoa” where it spent the first x years, to the second floor for x years and finally to the cooler first for the remaining x years. The art of finding the right balance between concentration and the freshness of the wine lies in the winemaker’s decision when to transfer the wine to the lower cooler north facing floors of the lodge.

CELLARAGE & SERVING

This wine should be stored upright in a dark room with constant temperature, ideally no higher than 16ºC. As the wine is completely stabilized, it is recommended to pull the cork at least 2 day before enjoying this wine. Decanting will help remove any deposit that may have occurred in bottle over time. A wine that should be enjoyed served not higher than 15ºC.

TASTING NOTES

Golden colour with green reflections. Characteristic bouquet of Madeira with exotic wood, dry fruits, dates, vanilla and cacao. Medium sweet and full bodied, with a long, fresh aftertaste of vanilla and toffee.

AWARDS

WINE ENTHUSIAST’S 2017 – 92 Points DECANTER 2017 – 95 Points IWSC 2017 – Silver Medal

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL INFORMATION

Alcohol: 20%

Grape Variety: Bual

Volatile Acidity: 0,54 g/l

Category: Colheita

Total Acidity: 6.75 g/l

Ageing: Canteiro

Residual Sugar: 92.0 g/l

Cask: American Oak

Baumé: 3.3

Style: Medium Rich

pH: 3.3

Harvest Year: 2003

Bottled: 2016 50cl