Blandy’s Sercial 1968 was aged for 49 years in seasoned American oak casks and as with all the family’s vintages, this wine started its ageing process in the warm high attic floors of the lodge in the center of Funchal. Over the 49 years, the wine passed down from the warmer top floor of the Blandy’s Wine Lodges, the “Sotão de Amendoa”. The art of finding the right balance between concentration and the freshness of the wine lies in the winemaker’s decision when to transfer the wine to the lower cooler north facing floors of the lodge.
"Mid-deep amber in hue with an olive green glint on the rim; fine, lifted slightly smoky, savoury – aperitif nose; dry (but not austere – 59 g/l residual sugar) with rapier-like power and intensity, a streak of acidity leading to a mouthwateringly fresh greengage finish yielding to a touch of savoury complexity. Very pure expression of Sercial with a freshness that belies nearly 50 years in cask". - Richard Mayson
Reviews
This beautifully golden-colored, oak-aged wine is bone dry, with the intense acidity working with an orange-marmalade character. Together they give a mature wine that is ready to drink.
Racy and refined, with lovely tension carrying the singed almond, clove-studded orange peel, bergamot and salted caramel notes along. Echoes of sweetness show amid piercing dryness.
Heady and spicy, this has the meaty warmth of a slow-cooked veal stock, its dark umami savor a contrast to the wine’s golden ripeness. It’s salty, with a cumin-like spice and a crisp line of acidity to rein in the creamy texture. For a crown roast of pork stuffed with apples and ginger.
The 1968 Sercial exhibits a complex bouquet of mocha, baked apple, praline, dates, fine furniture polish and marmalade. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with tangy acids, good concentration and a long, precise finish. With 59 grams per liter residual sugar and ten grams total acidity, it's a tangy Sercial that benefits considerably from aeration, becoming progressively more complete and integrated.