Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira – Berry Brothers & Rudd’s “new range,” dating back to 1875

This fifth generation Madeira producer has an enviable back-catalogue of aged wines.  Here are my notes on Berry Bros “new range” (prices are for full, 75cl bottles).

Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira Malvazia Colheita 1992

A rich, velvety smooth Malvazia with sweet caramel, chocolate orange and malted chocolate notes.  Well judged balancing acidity teases out the finish and keeps the sweetness in check.  £60.

Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira Boal 1983

Dusty.  Not very clean.  £79

Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira Terrantez 1977

I’m really pleased that this rare grape is being replanted on the island (click here for details).  Its signature cafe crème tobacco notes lend a savoury edge – a dryness and tickle of tannin – to its bruised/baked apple palate.  Combined with its racy acidity, this incisive Madeira has great nervosity and length.  £98

Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira Verdelho 1973

This bottle seemed heavy and quite flat – rather shown up by its older, much more vivacious  sibling (see below).  £95

Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira Verdelho 1912

Everything I love about Verdelho, this has wonderfully tangy tropical and spicy chutney fruit cut with a lively, savoury edge of salted limes.  Just a touch of dustiness to the finish but it’s so vibrant and animated going through – from attack to very long finish – one hardly notices.  £342

Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira Boal 1908

A ruddy, youthful tawny hue, but in the mouth, it has a glancing, sulphurous quality; lacks fruit/depth.  £342

Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira Malvazia 1907

A year older but what a difference from the Boal.  This Malvazia is a beauty with more than a touch of the Raj to its fleshy sweet and sour tamarind and jaggery-edged, spicy dried fruits.  Lovely richness delivered in Madeira’s signature layered but pacy style.  Absolutely delicious.  £370

Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira Sercial 1875

A beautiful amber hue with saffron and olive notes at the rim.  The nose is quite glorious – really takes hold of your senses.  Though dry, the palate is peppered with shards of jaggery, splinters of sweet caramel and subtly sweet and spicy chutney.  The smoky guava-edged finish is charged with a sulphurous, volcanic note.  A journey in a glass.  Edgy, but in a good way.  £702

Pereira d’Oliveira Madeira Malvazia 1875

As you’d expect, a deeper hue – dark amber, with an olive rim.  And again, as you’d expect, much more sucrosity/tatin-like singed caramelisation here, which lends lovely richness to a palate still very present, weighty even with saffron and cassia bark spiced (dried) chutney fruit.  A touch of wood volatility brings a delicious tangy timbre to the whole.  I suspect a touch of dustiness to the finish might well blow off with time in glass but in any event it scarcely detracts from this deeply impressive, venerable wine.  £689