Collier S. Wiese

9.0

Crisp, bright and citrus. Refreshing but more of a light bodied Traminette. It is also quite dry even with some residual sugar. — 4 years ago

Sean Breen

10

Drank with Lawton Bloom. The 1955 showed amazing youth. Lots of tart cherry and cranberry. Orange paste. On the palate good fruit for a wine of this age. Almost taste like a 20 year old Pinot, not a 50 year old wine. Good acidity still. Long, long finish. The 2005 was similar but just darker and more fruit driven. Less complex and with higher acidity and tannin. — 12 years ago

Elisabeth Brown

9.7

Wonderful:) — 5 years ago

James Forsyth

9.7

Back in February I went along to a Madeira tasting hosted by The Food & Wine Society, New York. Entitled Two Centuries of Boal, the wines were from the cellar of Andrew Jones, who is quite the authority when it comes to Madeira.

We kicked off with the 1861 Boal from Shortridge Lawton & Co (which became part of the Madeira Wine Association). With Madeira, the key thing is how long it aged in barrel. Once it is in the bottle, the aging stops. So had the 1861 been bottled in 1871, it would still be a 10 year old Madiera. This wasn't the case here. Instead Jones tracked its bottling to sometime after 1965.

Such long aging did well for this wine. While 1861 was considered a poor vintage at the time, this Madeira was stunning:

Brown with yellow rims. Rich on the nose with caramel and raisins. Incredible richness on the palate, with an intense burst that sustains. Faded sweetness with dried fruits and sandalwood, and especially dry on the finish, that seems to go on forever with evolving complexity. Gorgeous. A beyond rare treat. — 6 years ago

anthony balcaitis

9.2

Light bodied with a nice natural red color. Soft aroma of ripe red berries, a hint of woodiness, and somehow the smell remjnds me of being on a Great Lakes beach.

A great balance between sweet and dry. Medium acidity medium tannins. Tasted great a little chilled with some Indian food on a cool summer night. There's a real earthiness to the taste - dates, cranberries, mushroom perhaps. — 5 years ago