I have written before that I would travel the earth to attend one of Patrick Grubb’s tastings. This was billed as his last so I made an extra special effort to attend, moving commitments at the Decanter World Wine Awards in the process. I am very grateful to Stephen Spurrier and Christelle Guibert for making this possible for me as this is a tasting never to be missed. As always Patrick uncorked history: a dozen bottles of madeira dating from 1940 – 1780. The tasting included a number of old bottles from Barros e Sousa, a tiny producer still in existence though not registered as a shipper. Although I have tasted a number of their younger wines at their lodges in Funchal, I know that the company has no older vintages left to sell. These wines came from a family member.
The wines below were all decanted over the weekend before the tasting (held on a Tuesday) and Patrick noted those bottles where there was a heavy sediment. They are presented her in the order they were tasted, from dry to sweet though one or two were arguably in the wrong place.