Cossart Gordon Bual 1988
Region: Madeira
Producer: Madeira Wine Company SA
Why we chose this wine
1988: the year Seoul hosted the Olympic Games. 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 | Boal |
| 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 38 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
93+/ 100
Published 05-12-2024
Drink: 2024–2034
Drink: 2024–2034
“The 1988 Bual has a lot of concentration, higher alcohol (20%), a lower pH (3.4) and 115 grams of sugar, more of everything from the long aging and evaporation during that time. This has a dark mahogany color and a complex nose, with some varnish, nutty and with a touch of iodine. In general, the single-harvest wines have more edges than the blended ones. This is round and pleasant. 1,593 bottles and some larger and smaller formats 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.