MADEIRA thread

WINE TALK
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Eric,

You call that “box” an elevator? [truce.gif]

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Removed.

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From Mannie Berk, re: RWC Historic Series New Orleans Special Reserve:

I can tell you generally about the two blends. The first of course was built around a roughly 50-year-old Terrantez that occupied about a quarter of the blend. We used all we had of that wine the first time around, so Ricardo had to come up with a very different blend. Like the first, it marries a number of different varieties of varying ages, and it has less Terrantez, but the compensating factor is, in my view, some > bone-dry > Malvasia from Faja dos Padres. While it’s hard to top that original New Orleans blend, I think the Faja dos Padres Malvasia adds wonderful aromatic complexity. The wine is slightly sweeter than the first NOLA, but that’s not from the Malvasia, it’s from other wines in the blend.

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Very well stated Mr. Berk! [worship.gif]

Thanks for asking Mannie, Bob.

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Robert wrote:

I trust your memory, Roy.

That’s your first mistake, Bob! [drinkers.gif]


And I understand that Negra Mole is generally (universally?) considered an inferior variety. But that knowledge won’t influence a blind tasting, will it?

Whether you allow that knowledge to influence your blind tasting is akin to the question: Can Bob Parker taste a wine while looking at the bottle and still be 100% objective in his rating?
deadhorse

I believe that the “position” has been reversed on Negra Mole and it has happened during this decade. The two great books on Madeira, (until Oceans of Wine came out earlier this year) along with several important voices in wine journalism, had continued to repeat the gospel from the older Cossart & Liddell books, that NM was a “mediocre” grape (they were not as kind).

Most don’t even know that Negra Mole comes from a cross breeding of Grenache and Pinot Noir. Nonetheless, about 75%-80% of all grapes grown in the island’s vineyards, come from this singular cultivar. Whether opinion has changed due to the improved quality due to more care put into it – only in the past couple of decades (my belief) or it has been reversed by commercial propaganda and “need” … as some suggest … I’ll let those smarter than me make the final call.

In the bad old days, the reputation of Negra Mole was denegrated due to the belief that it was responsible for having slowly destroyed the Madeira business in the 1800s and 1900s.

Times have changed and so have opinions on Negra Mole, (along with some of the other Madeira grapes that most people never have even heard of such as Trifuno, Listrão and Complexa to name a few). NM has long been used for blending into Vintage and Solera Madeiras. Typically in small quantities of a few percent, and in olden days rarely if ever over 5% (of course there ARE a couple of 100% NM Madeira bottlings these days) even though by law only 85% of a Frasqueira (vintage Madeira) must be from the single grape on the label.

There seems to be an un-scientific theory that has gained popularity in the past century or two amongst people in the Madeira business and some writers who have the belief that Negra Mole has an uncanny ability to emulate other Noble Grapes of the isle. Some have told me it is only when the NM parcels are in close proximity to grapes like the “big 4” that they can often times replicate their relatives. Others believe it has something to do with the elevation of the vineyard and processing methods, but again, none of this is scientific … however, it seems to be a widely accepted belief, (others say, “myth”.

NM is commonly used today for not only blending as mentioned, but also in young, inexpensive Madeira like: Rainwater, 3 year old, 5 year old and even some of the Colheita bottlings which are becoming quite the rage (fortunately for the island’s growers). Easy to cultivate and clearly a versatile grape, the Rodney Dangerfield of varieties is one of the few RED grapes on the island, as Bastardo is the only other “well known” grape there that is of the same color.

As Colheita and new blends of Madeira are made more popular and more accessible over the next decade and generation … which will continue to re-energize the drink from the isle of Madeira in the world’s marketplace (to a degree) … Negra Mole will gain in stature. It is essential; imo. Enough of my jabbering on about Madeira and (Tinta) Negra Mole.

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I had six bottles of Madeira from Justino to evaluate for tasting notes. After getting 3-4 days with the bottles I had 3 people over to try them (Madeira neophytes) and all three loved the styles.

Tonight after opening some whites, a bunch of reds to fit with the “Bottle Shock” showing at a friend’s home, we enjoyed a 1977 Gould Campbell Vintage Port. Then I pulled out the bottles of Madeira for them to try and explain the stylistic differences in the bottlings. Very educational and fun to see how much they all enjoyed Madeira.

Hopefully, there will be lots more opportunities to get people interested in trying and understanding Madeira!

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Tried one more time with another group of friends:

Justino’s 5 year old Reserve
Justino’s 10 year old Reserve
Justino’s Colheita Madeiras from 1995/1996/1997/1998

Quite a fun line up and then things turned to well over a dozen bottles of Port this weekend. Crazy times!