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Boris· Wix Kyiv Office
Tasting Notes(1)
3.9
A superb dry-style aperitif Madeira - the dryness will trip up anyone expecting honeyed Malvasia, but on its own terms it's pitch-perfect. Dried fruit, pistachio, a citric lift, dried herbs. Long, fresh finish. The kind of bottle I want by the glass before dinner.
About
The dry, entry-tier of Barbeito's Madeira range, designed to be drunk chilled like an aperitif rather than after a meal. The back label declares 100% Tinta Negra - the historic workhorse Madeira grape that the modern Madeira revival has reframed as worth bottling on its own merits, rather than as anonymous blend material. The producer's online tech sheet for the current release notes a small Sercial component (around 20%) from Jardim da Serra alongside the Tinta Negra from Estreito de Câmara de Lobos and São Vicente; the label spec may have varied across releases.
Aged five years in old French oak casks by the canteiro method - the costly attic style, where barrels age at stable ambient temperatures rather than the heat-accelerated estufagem most entry-tier Madeiras use. Barbeito famously runs canteiro across the entire range, including at this 5-year tier.
Dry (around 45 g/L residual sugar - "dry" by Madeira's relative scale), 19% ABV. 500 ml. Built for chilled aperitif use, light enough for the table.
