Barbeito Cask 40A Malvasia 2000 50cl

Wine information: Barbeita Cask 40A is a Malvasia Madeira. The Malvasia grape variety is also known as Malmsey in Madeira. Back in 1993, Ricardo de Freitas’ first vintage in his Grandfather’s shoes, Barbeito became the first Madeira shipper to stop supplying wine in bulk. Since then, Ricardo has cranked up the quality year by year, to now be the most talked about player on the island, despite being one of the relative minnows. The first to stop using the despised caramel completely; the first to bottle Single Cask wines; the first to put vintage frasqueira into 50cls; the first Madeira producer to win a Jury Decouvertes at Vinexpo; the first to take Tinta Negra Mole so seriously as to treat it like the finest noble variety – and get similar quality results! And not forgetting, Barbeito were also the first and so far only Madeira producer, to bottle a 20 Year Old, to huge critical acclaim, and now latterly the first to bottle a 30 Year Old. Does it end there? Of course not. Barbeito's spectacular new winery is now complete, and Ricardo has been the first on the island to use robotic lagares! Fear not, this is where automation begins and ends in this handcraft centred company. The Single Cask wines are wowing a new generation of discerning wine drinkers to the glories of unadulterated Madeira. Each unique, but bearing the Barbeito hallmark of lightness of touch combined with dramatic concentration. 825 bottles.

Tasting Notes: Winemaker's Notes "In 2007 this wine was my initial choice for the bottling of the first Malvasia 2000 in the "Colheita" category. However, the bottling date suffered a 6 month delay. This factor coupled with the end of the 2007 summer, when the Malvasia 2000 casks were tasted again, made me opt to bottle cask 44a. My decision to wait showed just how much it was worth to subject this wine to an extraordinarily hot 2007 summer, enabling it to become concentrated, building its foundations so that it could easily acquire and fully integrate the effects of the exuberance and lively energetic acidity that the long and cold winters of 2007 and 2008 provoked."

Food & Wine match: Food-matching with these wines is endlessly fascinating, but apple pie (or tarte tatin), tarte aux citron and of course Foie Gras are particularly delicious.

Reviews: "Bright, light lucozade orange. At first there seemed to be a metallic note on the nose, but it dissipated. There is lots of really vital freshness on the palate that is not heavy at all. Real race. This is an extraordinary style- so full of life. Lovely on the palate- truly energising and transparent. Such energy and briskness." 18.5 points, Jancis Robinson

 
     

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