Blandy's : Malmsey Vintage 1981

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the Malmsey Vintage 1981 Blandy's

Tasting

Appearance
A luminous amber with green and olive highlights, the Malmsey Vintage 1981 appears crystalline and brilliant in the glass, a testament to decades of masterfully controlled oxidation in cask.

Nose
The nose is exuberant and generous, unveiling notes of exotic wood, toasted confectionery and candied fruit, enhanced by spice and delicate smoky touches. Aromas of dried fruit, candied orange, raisins, cocoa, cinnamon and cedar enrich this aromatic palette, accompanied by nuances of honey and sweet spices.

Palate
On the palate, the wine is sweet, smooth and dense, carried by remarkable concentration and a freshness that elegantly counterbalances its sugar richness. Flavours of caramelised fruit, candied orange, raisins, cedar, cinnamon, cocoa and honey unfold with great breadth, before giving way to an endless finish of brandy, spice and toasted oak.

Food and Wine Pairings

The Malmsey Vintage 1981 pairs particularly well with blue-veined cheeses, whose salty, powerful character brilliantly answers the sweetness and aromatic complexity of the wine. It also matches beautifully with nut-based desserts, chocolate preparations and the sweet dishes served at the end of a festive meal, where its notes of dried fruit, caramel and honey find a natural echo.

Serving and Cellaring

The Malmsey Vintage 1981 is ideally enjoyed at a slightly cool temperature, around 16°C, which highlights its acidic freshness while allowing the full richness of its aromatic bouquet to express itself.

Malmsey Vintage 1981, the Excellence of Madeira According to Blandy's

The Estate

Founded in 1811 in Funchal by John Blandy and his brothers Thomas and George, the Blandy's house remains today the only founding family in the Madeira wine trade to own and run its original company. Located in the heart of the Terras Madeirenses wine region, the brand is currently led by Chris Blandy, the seventh generation of the family, who has headed Madeira Wine Company since the family regained majority control of its capital in 2011. Repeatedly recognised among the finest wine cellars in the world, Blandy's embodies a unique traditional savoir-faire, combining canteiro ageing with the perpetuation of an exceptional family heritage.

The Vineyard

The grapes destined for Blandy's wines come from a mosaic of plots spread across several slopes of the island of Madeira, notably in São Jorge, between 150 and 200 metres above sea level, in São Vicente on the north coast, between 300 and 400 metres, as well as in Porto Moniz, Seixal and Câmara de Lobos, where the vines can climb up to 500 metres on the south coast. This diversity of exposures and microclimates is complemented by a network of twenty-six partner growers, spread across the main wine-growing areas of the island of Madeira, guaranteeing the house a varied supply of high quality. The grapes are then vinified at the estate located north of Funchal.

The Vintage

For this 1981 vintage, the Malvasia grapes were harvested late, at full ripeness, in order to achieve the natural sugar richness characteristic of the Malmsey style. The quality of the harvest made it possible to undertake an exceptionally long ageing, a guarantee of the typicity and complexity sought for this cuvée.

Winemaking and Ageing

After the harvest, the Malvasia grapes are pressed and fermentation is then halted by fortification with neutral grape spirit, thereby preserving a significant proportion of the natural sugar. This Portuguese wine is then aged using the canteiro system, in American oak casks, beginning its journey on the warmest levels of the lodges before being gradually moved down to cooler floors. This ageing lasted thirty-seven years, until the wine was bottled in 2019.

Grape Variety

This wine is made from Malvasia, a grape variety traditionally used to produce the Malmsey style in Madeira, harvested late to guarantee a natural concentration of sugars.