Blandy’s, Bual, Madeira, Portugal, 1969

An outstanding year for Bual, this wine was bottled in 2013 having spent more than 40 years in cask. Shows toasted aromas, hazelnuts and dried fruit with a wisp of wood smoke; fine tawny marmalade palate, delicate initially with richness building, offset by a magnificent streak of lemon and lime acidity; long, linear and beautiful to behold. It is deeply reassuring that wines as great as this are still being bottled in Madeira.