Barbeito 20 Years Old Verdelho Ribeiro Real Ed. 2

Barbeito sits on the volcanic island of Madeira, where Ricardo Diogo Freitas built the estate's reputation partly by refusing to add sugar to its wines. This bottling is made from Verdelho, one of the classic Madeira grapes, grown on steep terraced basalt soils in a warm, humid Atlantic climate. Verdelho gives a medium dry style with high natural acidity, which is essential to Madeira. The wine is aged in cask for twenty years, the label noting 240 months in barrel. Over that time the slow oxidative maturation, warmed in the island's cellars, gradually converts the wine into a deeply developed, nutty and caramelised style while the acidity keeps everything taut, a controlled cooked and oxidised character that is unique to Madeira. The colour is golden with green highlights. The nose is fragrant and complex, with orange marmalade and dried apricot over walnut, roasted nuts and caramel. The palate is off dry, concentrated and intensely long, the sweetness of the dried fruit cut clean by that piercing acidity through a savoury, nutty finish. Serve lightly chilled at around 14C in a small tulip glass.