Henriques & Henriques Madeira – 2022 Release


Man’s love of wine has travelled with him to all corners of the world. Centuries ago the trade routes passing Madeira saw vines plant their feet on the tiny island.
Today we offer wines that in some cases are centuries old.
These elixirs are rarely rivaled in the longevity and beauty!

***Pre-Arrival Offer Subject to Allocation.***

Henriques & Henriques have established an impeccable reputation as one of the top sources for high-quality Madeira. They are the leading independent Madeira shipping house and practise an uncompromising devotion to the quality of both their vineyards and their wines (Henriques is the only house we know of that owns and farms a significant proportion of their own vineyards).

It is not this producer’s younger wines we are focussing on today. Henriques are also unique in  their holdings of extensive stocks in both bottle and cask—some more than a century (or two!) old. We’re excited to offer a broad selection of these today, on a pre-arrival basis. Below we have
included independent reviews and bottling notes from Henriques themselves where these are not available. Although, we find these notes do not come close to capturing the astonishing quality in the bottle, nor the emotion involved when tasting such wines. All the wines offered are bottled in 750ml format.

Today’s offering covers 3 Classifications of Maderia across 5 Varietal & their associated Styles

The Classifications

Garrafeira

Vintage Madeira, or Garrafeira, must be aged for a minimum of 20 years in cask, and a further two years in bottle before release. On the category, Alex Liddell, author of Madeira (Hurst & Company, 2014) has written, “These wines are the glory of Madeira and, with the best examples of dated wines from the past, the yardstick by which it is to be judged to be a world class wine.” Below we offer 11 vintages from Henriques’ cellar. While we have not tasted every wine, the quality and style of those that we have—the Sercial 1964 and 1971 for example—will live on in our memories for many years to come. Put simply, these compelling Garrafeira wines can be considered Henriques’ ‘Grand Cru’ offering.

Ancient Solera

The Solera system no longer exists in Madeira, but it has a long and proud history in the region. Some argue Madeira was the first area to use such a system of fractional blending, which was born out of rising demand outstripping supply, and a desire to keep quality constant. Only 10% of an old wine could be withdrawn from any cask each year, to be topped with 10% young wines. This could only be done to the limit of ten times before the solera was to be closed. The dates on these extraordinary and very rare wines refer to the foundation year of the solera. The wines have all been bottled within the last decade.

Very Old Reserve

These Very Old Reserves were inherited by J.J.G. Henriques before he founded the company in 1850. Even in 1850 they were already considered to be old wines and, as such, they had already lost their vintage date! Henriques believe them to be about 200 years old, although they are dated
with their first bottling date. As you can tell by the price, these count amongst the rarest Madeira still available to purchase.

“Top-quality madeira is one of the world’s most wickedly underrated fine wines. I know you will have read that about sherry – and that’s true too – but I can understand why people don’t like sherry. It does have a characteristic flavour that some palates will find offputting. But madeira tastes like the elixir of life itself.”

Jancis Robinson, www.jancisrobinson.com


The Varietals & Styles

There’s a great trick to Madeira. The variety they are made from is not only used on the label, it also indicates the style particularly in terms of sweetness. Like all of the worlds great sweet and fortified wines the sugar level is not the main factor, balance with natural acidity is the key.

Ranging from the driest style to the sweetest style, the Madeira types are:

Sercial is nearly fermented completely dry, with very little residual sugar (0.5 to 1.5° on the Baumé scale, or 9-27 g/l). This style of wine is characterised with high-toned colours, almond flavours, and high acidity. This is a white grape variety that probably originates from the region of Bucelas, near Lisboa, where it is traditionally grown under the name Esgana Cao (Dog Strangler), having been introduced in Madeira, where it was given the name Sercial.


Verdelho has its fermentation halted a little earlier than Sercial, when its sugars are between 1.5 and 2.5° Baumé (27-45 g/l). This style of wine is characterized by smokey notes and high acidity. Verdelho can be found since the seventeenth century and was probably brought from northern continental Portugal during the early days of settlement on the island. Before the arrival of phylloxera Madeira in 1872 Verdelho represented approximately two thirds of the vineyards of Madeira.


Terrantez, the rarest of the group, almost became extinct on the island but has been making a comeback. Its style ranges in sweetness from that of Verdelho to that of Bual, never being quite as dry as Sercial nor quite as sweet as Malvasia.

As most of the varietals on the island, Terrantez was brought from the north of mainland Portugal, where it goes by the name of Folgasão. For many centuries this varietal has always been used in the production of premium wines, achieving high prices in the market.

Rare, Terrantez grapes are white, thin-skinned and extremely fragile. The compact bunches and berries make it prone to botrytis and berry splitting. The yields are very low and ripening late.


Bual also called Boal or Malvasia Fina on mainland Portugal. It has its fermentation halted when its sugars are between 2.5 and 3.5° Baumé (45-63 g/l). This style of wine is characterized by its dark colour, medium-rich texture, and raisin flavours. Bual, or Boal as it is also called in Madeira, is a white grape variety that originated on the Portuguese mainland (or continente as it is known in Madeira) having been planted in the Douro and Dão for centuries, where it goes by the name of Malvasia Fina. This varietal name covers not one but 16 grape varieties in Portugal, as Cincinnato da Costa writes in “O Portugal Viticola”. In Wine Grapes (Robinson et al.) viticulturalist Rolando Faustino suggests that it is probably from the Douro but due to its wide genetic diversity neither Dão nor the Lisbon region can be ruled out.


Malvasia (also known as Malvazia or Malmsey) has its fermentation halted when its sugars are between 3.5 and 6.5° Baumé (63-117 g/l). This style of wine is characterised by its dark colour, rich texture, and coffee-caramel flavours. Like other Madeiras made from the noble grape varieties, the Malvasia grape used in Malmsey production has naturally high levels of acidity in the wine, which balances with the high sugar levels so the wines do not taste cloyingly sweet.
Malmsey should not be viewed as a single variety (there are so many different grapes named Malvasia) but as style of wine. In “Wine Grapes” (Robinson et al.) the authors make this point, stating that Malvasia is a generic name given to a wide range of distinct white-, pink-, grey-, or black-skinned varieties which share an ability to produce sweet wines high in alcohol. The planted area is now stable at around 39 ha (96 acres).

The majority of the Malvasia growing on Madeira is a grape known as Malvasia Branca de São Jorge, a white grape variety introduced as recently as the 1970s in the parish of Sao Jorge in the district of Santana, on the north side of the island at lower altitudes (150m – 200m).


About Henriques & Henriques

The history of Henriques & Henriques dates back to 1850 when the company was founded by João Gonçalves Henriques, a descendant of a family that settled in Câmara de Lobos many years ago. After his death in 1912, his sons João Joaquim and Francisco Eduardo Henriques made a partnership where the name “Henriques & Henriques” comes from.

The Henriques family, over the different generations, has played an important role in the production of Madeira wine, being known as a producer of excellent quality wines. Several events that took place in the second half of the 19th Century, namely the appearance of Oídio in 1852 and soon after Philoxera in 1872, vineyard diseases, resulted in serious damage to the vineyards and, as a consequence, in 1913, the family’s interests were consolidated in a company that later on, in 1925, started exporting its own wines, instead of supplying them to other exporters.

Besides being a producer and exporter, H&H is characterized for being the only owner of own vineyards in the region, which allows the production of grapes of extreme quality, namely the Verdelho grape, and also Terrantez, which stands out for being a very sensitive and not very productive grape, but a true nectar of the gods, when transformed into wood wine.

Despite having its own production, H&H needs to buy grapes from various growers with whom it has had a close relationship for many years.

In 1992, Henriques & Henriques started an expansion programme and invested in the construction of a new ageing cellar in Câmara de Lobos and also in the construction of a new winemaking centre built on its property, Quinta Grande, which provided the company with the appropriate means to use the latest technological innovations but at the same time maintaining the family tradition of almost 200 years in the production of the best Madeira wines of exceptional quality.

The History of Maderia

Madeira is the world’s most robust and long lived wine. They can easily live for centuries and stay fresh for months after opening. For those who have not tasted Madeira; it is a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, made in a range of styles from dry(ish) to sweet, yet always with an elegance and a distinctive, refreshing tang to close (this is what separates it from other, heavier tasting fortifieds).

Erin Scala explores Madeira with Ricardo Freitas of the Barbeito winery on Levi Dalton’s podcast I’ll drink to that. The discussion of the history of Madeira and the winemaking at Barbeito give some great insights into the region and its wines.

The Zoom below with Chris Blandy is an excellent exploration of the history of Madeira, vineyard zones, viticulture, winemaking, and beyond during the first 25minutes. The balance covers tasting a range of Blandy’s Madeiras. Informative, not quite the same as having a glass in front of you!

In the Vineyard

H&H has 2 of their own vineyards in addition to sourcing fruit externally.

Quinta Grande

Henriques & Henriques has more than 10 hectares of vines planted in the Quinta Grande.

The plantings here are dominated by Verdelho.

This long and beautiful vineyard still has 4,000 meters of Terrantez grapes.

The unique site is part of the terroir and personality of Henriques & Henriques Madeira.

Preces

This exclusive has 1 hectare of Terrantez grape variety.

It is characterized by being a wide area in a wolf chamber, with a breathtaking view.

Terrantez is a very delicate grapes and needs special care to manage disease.

The Terrantez Maderia is only offered afer 20 years of maturation due to it’s scarcity and quality.

Methods of Training the Vine

In the past, on the north side of the island, vines were grown along “balseiras”. This method consisted of training vines along available trees (principally chestnut, oak, laurel and beech), and then either training the vine vertically or allowing them to wind through rocks or over the ground.

Although this method produced high quantities of grapes, the grapes rarely reached maturity because of limited exposure to the sun, a result of the difficulty in pruning the vine. The growers faced a number of further obstacles as a result of the vines climbing high in the trees; pruning difficulties, applying treatment for oidium, and in harvesting the grapes.

These difficulties slowly brought about a change in practice, hastened as the supporting trees were destroyed by oidium, powder mildew.

The replacement vines were then planted in the pergola format.

Madeira’s steep slopes are notorious, working the vineyards is a manual labour of love. Almost all the vines on the island are planted in miniscule terraces, known as “poios”, criss-crossed by the red or grey of the basalt walls that support them. The traditional method of training the vines across pergolas are a classic of Madeiran viticulture, creating a magnificent and unique landscape.

Vines grow best on the sunny south facing slopes, especially those at between 350 and 750 metres of altitude.

The trellises of vines are a masterpiece of Madeiran viticulture, creating a magnificent landscape unique to the island.

The network of man-made irrigation channels, known as “levadas” extends to over 2000Km/1200 miles. This guarantees the equal distribution of water between the 1800ha/4500 acres of agricultural land, which is divided into multiple small holdings belonging to over 4000 Madeiran viticulturists.

The pergolas on the north side of the island have to be enclosed or protected by hedges, to protect the vines from the winds and the salt spray. Fences built from heather and bracken are a familiar sight along the north coast, particularly between Seixal and Ribeira da Janela.

On the south coast, the pergola and trellis systems predominate. Although the grapes are raised above the ground, there is so little space between the vine and the earth, that weeding, pruning, tying back the vine, clearing the leaves and even harvesting is difficult.

Today, most vines in Madeira are trained along low lying trellis just above the ground, constructed in a fashion similar to that of the Vinho Verde region.

In Porto Santo, thanks to the geological and climatic conditions, most vineyards are to be found along the coast, where free standing vines are grown.

The viticultural landscape of Porto Santo constantly evolves, as new vines are planted and cordon trained.

In Madeira there is a move to convert back to the vine stock used before the period of oidium and phylloxera. Although this strategy is already being implemented by the growers, its success depends in part on the support received from the producers and exporters of Madeira wine.

In the Winery

The initial winemaking steps of Madeira start out like most other wines: grapes are harvested, crushed, pressed, and then fermented in either stainless steel or oak casks. The grape varieties destined for sweeter wines – Bual and Malvasia – are often fermented on their skins to leach more phenols from the grapes to balance the sweetness of the wine. The more dry wines – made from Sercial, Verdelho, and Negra Mole – are separated from their skins prior to fermentation. Depending on the level of sweetness desired, fermentation of the wine is halted at some point by the addition of neutral grape spirits.

The wines undergo the estufagem aging process to produce Madeira’s distinctive flavor.

Colourings such as caramel colouring have been used in the past to give some consistency (see also whiskey), although this practice is decreasing.

“Estufagem” process

Barrels of Madeira in the sun: the unique estufagem process in Canteiro helped protect the wine for long sea voyages through tropical climates.

What makes Madeira wine production unique is the estufagem aging process, meant to duplicate the effect of a long sea voyage on the aging barrels through tropical climates. Three main methods are used to heat age the wine, used according to the quality and cost of the finished wine.

Two of these are illustrated below:

Madeira Winemaking by Blandy’s

Cuba de Calor: The most common, used for low cost Madeira, is bulk aging in low stainless steel or concrete tanks surrounded by either heat coils or piping that allow hot water to circulate around the container. The wine is heated to temperatures as high as 130 °F (55 °C) for a minimum of 90 days as regulated by the Madeira Wine Institute. However, the Madeira is most commonly heated to approximately 115 °F (46 °C)

Armazém de Calor: Only used by the Madeira Wine Company, this method involves storing the wine in large wooden casks in a specially designed room outfitted with steam-producing tanks or pipes that heat the room, creating a type of sauna. This process more gently exposes the wine to heat, and can last from six months to over a year.

Canteiro: Used for the highest quality Madeiras, these wines are aged without the use of any artificial heat, being stored in lofts where the natural warmth of the sun gently heats the wine. In cases such as vintage Madeira, this heating process can last from 20 years to 100 years. This process is used by many of the top Madiera brands, including Broadbent and Justino’s. Justino’s produces more than 50% of all Madeira. Adding in the other brands owned by Justino’s, such as Henriques & Henriques, the family which owns Justino’s is responsible for producing over 70% of all the Madeira on the island.

When I was at Yarra Yering we set up an Estufa, using the Canteiro process kicking of with a few barrels made from Viognier. Not quite sure what ever happened to it!

The word “canteiro” derives from the name of the traditional supporting beams on which the American oak casks are placed. This unique process consists in the ageing of the wines in seasoned oak casks for a minimum period of four years. The casks are never 100% full, which allows the wine to slowly oxidize and to transform the primary aromas into tertiary aromas or the classical “Madeira Bouquet” of spices, roasted nuts, dried fruits smoke, amongst many others. On average, the company loses 7% of volume of wine per year through evaporation and it is the winemaker’s decision when to transfer the wine from the hottest attic floors to the lower cooler floors that ensures that this loss of volume is controlled. This natural heating over time also leads to the progressive concentration of the wine. Wines produced in the “canteiro” system are stored in casks by the variety name and vintage year.

Blandy’s Canteiro

Where in the World is Henriques & Henriques?

Is on the Portugese, the island of Madeira is situated in the Atlantic Ocean, about 900Km south-west of Lisbon, and 600km west from the North African coast.  The winery is on the southern coast to the west of Funchal, in Câmara de Lobos.

Click to enlarge🔎

***Pre-Arrival Offer Subject to Allocation.***

30% deposit on confirmation of order. Balance payable on arrival.


About the Wines


Garrafeira

Vintage Madeira, or Garrafeira, must be aged for a minimum of 20 years in cask, and a further two years in bottle before release. On the category, Alex Liddell, author of Madeira (Hurst & Company, 2014) has written, “These wines are the glory of Madeira and, with the best examples of dated wines from the past, the yardstick by which it is to be judged to be a world class wine.” Below we offer 11 vintages from Henriques’ cellar. While we have not tasted every wine, the quality and style of those that we have—the Sercial 1964 and 1971 for example—will live on in our memories for many years to come. Put simply, these compelling Garrafeira wines can be considered Henriques’ ‘Grand Cru’ offering.

Henriques & Henriques Boal 1997

20% alc/vol, 92 grams of residual sugar. “This pleasant, semi-sweet wine has notes of caramel, dried fruit and tobacco. Very fresh due to its well-balanced acidity, it has a long and persistent finish that offers the greatest satisfaction”
Henriques & Henriques

Henriques & Henriques Verdelho 1981

20% alc/vol, 68 grams of residual sugar. “Medium-dry wine with evident notes of tropical fruits and also crystallized orange peel, peach and apricot. Sweetness and acidity in good balance, with a long finish with a touch of spicy spices.”

Henriques & Henriques

Henriques & Henriques Boal 1980

19% alc/vol, 93 grams of residual sugar. “Bright amber with golden and greenish nuances. Evolved and intense aroma with delicious complexity. Palate of dried fruits, raisins and honey and a perfect combination between acidity and sweetness. Excellent aftertaste.”

Henriques & Henriques 

Henriques & Henriques Terrantez 1976

21% alc/vol, 72 grams of residual sugar. “Old gold wine. Aroma to dried fruits, namely raisins, light vanilla and some wood. Complex taste between dry and sweet. This is a perfectly balanced wine. Long finish.”

Henriques & Henriques 

Henriques & Henriques Sercial 1971

21% alc/vol, 52 grams of residual sugar. “Wow this sings out the glass and soars on the palate. An invigoratingly, piercingly fresh nose and palate reveals iodine, kelp and sea spray. With its bracing backbone of acidity there’s no shortage of power or animation – it’s rather like being slapped in the face by an ocean wave! Resoundingly. A tightly-wound nutty finish sprints into the far distance, showing a clean pair of heels on a very pure, mineral, firm finish. Terrific! Or, as Rui Falcão would say, bottled electricity.”

Sarah Ahmed, The Wine Detective 

Henriques & Henriques Sercial 1964

21% alc/vol, 52 grams of residual sugar. “The 1964 is a truly great wine with a concentration I rarely find in Sercial. A darker amber colour. Roasted almonds, wood, lemon peel, paint and a touch of vanilla. Racy acidity although it is not for the weak one’s. Impeccable balance and fine almond taste with vanilla fudge, green lemons, herbs and wet earth. Long, intense length. Impressive and one of my favourite Sercial’s tasted during our five weeks stay.”

Niklas Jörgensen, www.madaboutmadeira.org 

Henriques & Henriques Boal 1957

20% alc/vol, 92 grams of residual sugar. “Opened 24 hours ahead of the tasting. Decanted and checked. The 1957 has that little green edge to the amber color. It looks old especially when comparing to the light golden colored 1983 Verdelho from Artur Barros e Sousa we just tasted. The bouquet is filled with moist tobacco, toffee, smoke, dusty summer road, paint, dried leather and a fig/date scent. Complex and mature. On the palate it is more towards the elegant side wit smoky notes, figs, wood, leather, vanilla, dark chocolate and toffee. Fine vivid acidity balancing the almost 100 grams of sugar left in the wine eminently. Long finish with wet rocks notes and nutmeg. An excellent representative for classic Boal.”

Niklas Jörgensen, www.madaboutmadeira.org 

Henriques & Henriques Boal 1954

18.6% alc/vol, 89 grams of residual sugar. “As a common denominator, the 1954s seems to be quite dark in color, not impenetrable but dark amber. The 1954 Boal is no exception.If this is due to a warmer year, or the fact that these wines perhaps stays a longer time in the warmer part of the attics, is something put on the need to ask next time-list. On the nose, the Boal shows that typical smoky character of the grape, combined with lots of spicy notes (clove, curry, ginger), caramel and fresh (!) apricots. Not so much wood taste although there are scents of vanilla and coffee grounds. Add walnuts to that and a slightly floral note which just faintly makes me think Moscatel. On the palate it offers a good mouth-feel with typical 1954 concentration. Dried fruits, specially apricots and figs, some pipe tobacco and vanilla. Then sugar cane and smoke, honey and ripe lime fruit acidity to balance the quite sweet Boal. Long, lasting finish. Strange to write a 1954 feels a bit young, but then again, this is Madeira, the wine which constantly surprises me.”

Niklas Jörgensen, www.madaboutmadeira.org 

Henriques & Henriques Malvasia 1954

20% alc/vol, 149 grams of residual sugar. “Very dark colour with brown and golden shades and slight greenish tints. Richly concentrated aroma of raisins, honey, spices and some rich wood. Rich, full-bodied and persistent taste and a long finish.”

Henriques & Henriques 

Henriques & Henriques Terrantez 1954

21.2% alc/vol, 127 grams of residual sugar. “Then the 1954. Goose-skin despite the fact that it’s 28 C and the humidity is around 80 per cent. Ethereal, dusty summer road, gentle oriental spices, Valrhona chocolate, a touch of ground coffee, dried apricots and lime peel. I suspect it is related to a warm vintage because the palate is sweeter than I normally expect in a Terrantez. Insanely concentrated, yet with grace and elegance all over it. I know, it sounds like a contradiciton. Taste and you will understand what I am trying to put words on. Flowers, tobacco, humus, dried fruits and nutmeg. Oolong tea with a dash of lemon. Great acidity and a neverending finale. Humberto looks just as pleased, even if I guess he has tasted this one a couple of times by now A little bit surprised (again) that there’s no bitterness in the aftertaste which otherwise is more or less a trademark of the grape. Yes, there is a little of it but not nearby what a Terrantez consumer probably expects. Could it be that in warmer years like 1954, there’s a phenolic ripeness that reduces the bitterness of Terrantez? Personally I doubt that, considering the fact that Madeira normally are harvested to have the balance between sugar and acidity. A warm year could risk the acidity if harvested too late. Bitterness or not, the 1954 is a modern day (!) classic and my wine of the vintage.”

Niklas Jörgensen, www.madaboutmadeira.org 

Niklas speaks more of this wine in this linked article.

Henriques & Henriques Verdelho 1934

21.5% alc/vol, 82 grams of residual sugar. “This wine is bright, dark amber in colour, with old gold and greenish shades. Aromatic, with emphasis on dried fruit, honey and figs. Medium dry to the palate but full-bodied. Long finish with balanced acidity.”

Henriques & Henriques 

Henriques & Henriques Verdelho 1932

20.4% alc/vol. 76 grams residual sugar. “Intense and persistent aroma of marmalade, candied orange peel, dried fruits, notes of very aged wood. Elegant and very balanced texture with a flavour of candied Mediterranean fruits and spices, with an expressive spicy finish. It reveals itself in layers of various levels of oxidative ageing.” 

Henriques & Henriques

Henriques & Henriques Sercial 1928

19.9% alc/vol. 46 grams residual sugar. “Aged in old American oak casks, it shows an amber colour with golden-green notes on the rim. On the palate, the oxidative characteristics of long cellaring ageing are clear. A delicate dryness, fresh acidity, spicy spice and a nutty finish.”

Henriques & Henriques

Henriques & Henriques Bastardo 1927

21.7% alc/vol. 114 grams residual sugar. “Synonymous designation of the Trousseau grape variety (France), it matures early and reaches high sugar contents. Long oxidative ageing has revealed a complex aromatic composition, with notes of prunes, tobacco, coffee, caramel, toasted nuts and hazelnuts and propolis. In the mouth it is rich, unctuous and persistent.”

Henriques & Henriques


“Back to the Bastardo. A legendary wine needs a legendary story. Furthermore it needs to be of limited availability in order for the reputation to spire. Even better; add age to the story! Why not 83 years, because this is what most likely gave the Bastardo grape on Madeira its repute! We know of five vintages of Madeira Bastardo the, roughly speaking, last 200 years. One of the best is the 1927. The great Bastardo year.”

Niklas Jörgensen, www.madaboutmadeira.org “The Last Bastardo”

Ancient Solera

The Solera system no longer exists in Madeira, but it has a long and proud history in the region. Some argue Madeira was the first area to use such a system of fractional blending, which was born out of rising demand outstripping supply, and a desire to keep quality constant. Only 10% of an old wine could be withdrawn from any cask each year, to be topped with 10% young wines. This could only be done to the limit of ten times before the solera was to be closed. The dates on these extraordinary and very rare wines refer to the foundation year of the solera. The wines have all been bottled within the last decade.

Henriques & Henriques Century Malmsey 1900

Solera start date: 1900, close date: 1905. 20% alc/vol, 123 grams of residual sugar. “This wine is actually, miraculously, commercially available. ‘We recommend standing it upright and decanting 24 hours before serving,’ says John Cossart. This wine has been in bottle for 15 years but still has the freshness of a solera wine. Green-edged mahogany. Pungent nose of bonfires. Round and punchy, very well balanced. Lots of acidity but not too much. Lovely sipping madeira. Very very fresh. Quite amazingly lively even though almost elixir-like.”

19/20 points, Jancis Robinson 

Henriques & Henriques Verdelho Solera 1898


Solera start date: 1898, close date: 1903. 20% alc/vol, 77 grams of residual sugar. “Amber color, slightly green edge to it. Elegant, intense and ethereal bouquet. Spicy notes, almonds, marzipan, orange peel, paint, milk chocolate, corints and balsamico. Wow! I could just go for one word actually; complex. The bouquet’s intensity is just sensational. Never intrusive or too much; just amiable. On the palate it shows complexity in abundance. Fudge, cinnamon, grape skin, tobacco, wet earth, smoke, paint and marzipan. All wrapped in beautifully. 77 grams of sugar per liter left, but the acidity makes me write medium-dry. Incredibly long and pure finish. Again, I’m reminded why I adore Verdelho. The 1898 is simply put; a drinkable poem – one I won’t forget in the first place.”

95-96 Points. Niklas Jörgensen, www.madaboutmadeira.org 

Henriques & Henriques 1894 Founder’s Reserve Solera

Solera start date: 1894, close date: 1899. 20% alc/vol, 161 grams of residual sugar. “Impressive color. When comparing with the 1898, the Founder’s Reserve is dark amber but transparent. The bouquet is all about complexity and underlying subtle scents. I feel stupid to even trying to tear these elements apart but hey, that’s the wine nut in me taking over. Vanilla fudge, ground coffee, nutmeg, raisins, Tia Maria (cocoa), wet earth, smoke and a touch of sea air. Fabulous! On the palate it changes a bit and I am amazed by the pure and generous fruit feel. Elegance incarnated with tobacco, dark chocolate, ground coffee, burnt sugar and nutmeg. Intense aftertaste with that unmistakable acidity kick leading you home to Madeira. True world class. I hope you, dear reader, gets to taste this some day. It sets a standard for just how good Solera can be!”

96-97 Points, Niklas Jorgensen, www.madaboutmadeira.org

Very Old Reserve

These Very Old Reserves were inherited by J.J.G. Henriques before he founded the company in 1850. Even in 1850 they were already considered to be old wines and, as such, they had already lost their vintage date! Henriques believe them to be about 200 years old, although they are dated with their first bottling date. As you can tell by the price, these count amongst the rarest Madeira still available to purchase.

Henriques & Henriques Very Old Reserves Sercial (bottles 1965)

21% alc/vol, 47 grams of residual sugar. “Medium gold color with greenish tints. The aroma is totally harmonious and not aggressive. A dry, very attractive, firm, nutty beginning. Good depth and a long finish. A wine of great level, balanced and not excessively acidic.”

Henriques & Henriques 

Henriques & Henriques Very Old Reserves Malvasia (bottled 1964)

21% alc/vol, 115 grams of residual sugar. “This is a dark wine. It has a powerful and complex aroma of fruit. Taste very evolved and vibrant but with much freshness. An elegant, refined wine with a long, lingering finish.”

Henriques & Henriques 

Henriques & Henriques Very Old Reserves Grand Old Boal (bottled 1927)

20% alc/vol, 83 grams of residual sugar. “Impressive complex and sophisticated aroma. Very pleasant beginning of mouth. This wine has depth with enormous vivacity in the palate and extraordinary concentration in the mouth. With a not very sweet character and a long finish.”

Henriques & Henriques 

Henriques & Henriques Very Old Reserves W.S. Boal (bottled 1927)

21% alc/vol, 85 grams of residual sugar. “Slightly darker, complex, with very pronounced fruit aromas. Equally complex on the palate, fresh and very lively. A little sweeter than the Grand Old Boal, it has a long and persistent finish.”

Henriques & Henriques 

References

Robinson, J., ed. (2015), The Oxford Companion to Wine (Fourth ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-870538-3.


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  • Price: $ 1,790.00
  • Price: $ 3,020.00
  • Price: $ 2,845.00
  • Price: $ 2,480.00
  • Price: $ 3,160.00
  • Ancient Solera
  • Price: $ 3,200.00
  • Price: $ 3,500.00
  • Price: $ 3,700.00
  • Very Old Reserve
  • Price: $ 10,400.00
  • Price: $ 12,500.00
  • Price: $ 12,700.00
  • Price: $ 14,580.00
  • $ 0.00
  • *If you do not receive a confirmation email after submitting your allocation request please contact us immediately on 1300 811 066 or [email protected]
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