Blandy's Terrantez 1987
Region: Madeira
Producer: Madeira Wine Company SA
Why we chose this wine
1987: the year the Erasmus exchange programme for European students was founded. 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 | 75.0 cl. |
| Grape Variety | Terrantez |
| 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 13-14°C, a fascinating pairing for aged cheese or almond biscuits — best enjoyed on its own to appreciate its complexity. |
| Alc. | 20.0% |
| Vinification | Traditional Madeira vinification: after fermentation, the Terrantez must is fortified (mutage) with neutral grape spirit, in a style that retains both body and lively acidity. |
| Ripening | Aged for more than 39 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
JancisRobinson.com
19,5/ 20
Tasted 16-10-2024
Drink: any time
Drink: any time
Bottled 2024.
Extraordinary complexity – there's a sense of the divine here – not least through the miracle of how this wine has matured through all those years. There are sweet spices, varnish, caramel and really delicious pear fruit as well. Long, long and long. A full museum collection of flavour, all in one glass.
— Richard Hemming MW, JancisRobinson.com
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
96/ 100
Published 05-12-2024
Drink: 2024–2040
Drink: 2024–2040
“The 1987 Terrantez was produced with grapes from the prestigious Câmara de Lobos and matured in pipas (650-liter) for years until it was recently bottled. It hit the scale at 20% alcohol and has a pH of 3.31 and 95 grams of unfermented sugar. This is a special wine, with the acidity of Sercial, the sweetness of a Boal and with the palate showing great balance; the attack is sweet but it finishes fairly dry. It has roundness and finesse. 1,248 bottles and some larger and smaller formats were produced. It was bottled in April 2024.”
— 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.