Blandy's Boal 1920 / magnum
Region: Madeira
Producer: Madeira Wine Company SA
Why we chose this wine
1920: the year Antwerp hosted the Olympic Games, the first after the First World War. A Madeira from this vintage is a living piece of history — a wine that has been ageing for generations, owing its character to decades of patient cask maturation.
| Volume | 150.0 cl. |
| Grape Variety | 100% Boal (Bual) – a medium-sweet grape yielding rich, full-bodied Madeiras with notes of dried fruit and caramel. |
| Drinking window | Ready to drink now — thanks to the nature of Madeira, this wine remains stable for many years, both in bottle and after opening. |
| Serveren bij | Served between 14-15°C, a wonderful match for aged cheese, foie gras, chocolate desserts, or simply enjoyed as a contemplative wine after dinner. |
| Alc. | 20.0% |
| Vinification | Traditional Madeira vinification: fermentation of the Boal must is interrupted early by fortification (mutage) with neutral grape spirit, preserving much of the grapes' natural sugar. |
| Ripening | Aged for more than 106 years using the traditional canteiro method: in oak casks in the naturally heated lodges (armazéns) of the wine house, giving the Madeira its characteristic oxidative character and remarkable longevity. |
What the critics say
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
97/ 100
Published 05-12-2024
Drink: 2024–2050
Drink: 2024–2050
“I tasted the 2020 bottling of the 1920 Bual when the wine was 100 years old, after having spent 97 years in cask. For winemaker Francisco Albuquerque, this was the last bottling, and the rest (the other half of the wine) was put in glass demijohns and was at the limit, with 22% alcohol and very high dry extract, with notes of old wood, smoke, iodine and low tide. It's intense and pungent, with a volatile twist (it has only 1.56 grams of volatile acidity). It has very high extract—you can chew it—and it stays with you for a very long time. This is also a wine to sip that would last forever. 1,199 bottles produced.”
— Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The producer
Madeira Wine Company SA
This group brings together Blandy's, Leacock's, Cossart Gordon and Miles, and with them an impressive stock of old wines. Chris Blandy and winemaker Francisco Albuquerque make approachable, rounded Madeira with real depth.