Blandy's, Verdelho, 1982

"Hold this wine to your nose and you're smitten. It'll own you from the first moment you breathe it in. Saffron, roasted rice, rich and deep and thrilling. The acidity is terrifyingly graceful. It has the cold, still hold of the light of a planet in a clear, midnight sky. A laser could not cut such a perfect white-light hole in the blue-black of night. But the heart of the wine is tucked into earth: pecans, herbs and lemon-splashed apricots. Layers and layer and layers. Forget words. Just pour it and breathe."

"Made from grapes grown at Porto Moniz on the cool northwest corner of Madeira island. Deep amber/mahogany colour, with immediacy on the nose: spiced prune, date and dried fig richness all come singing from the glass, just verging on high-toned (1.3g/l volatile acidity). Glorious quince marmalade richness (108 g/l residual sugar) and intensity offset by penetrating acidity and bitter-sweet astringency. Lovely focus mid-palate and a long, fresh multi-dimensional finish redolent of dried apricots and citrus. Perfectly poised."