1997 Broadbent Malvasia Single Cask #233 Madeira (500 mL) 500 ml

Nothing in the wine world combines beauty and longevity quite like Madeira, the fortified, maderized dessert wine from a misty, isolated island in the Atlantic. From Bartholomew Broadbent—son of the late, legendary wine expert Michael Broadbent and perhaps the worldwide authority on Madeira brokerage—the 1997 Broadbent Malvasia Single Cask #233 Madeira will floor you with its incredibly complex palette of flavors. 

Bartholomew Broadbent established his own import company in the mid-1990s. From the beginning, he has had a partnership with Justino’s winery to produce his own vintage-dated Madeiras. But one visit to Justino’s was different. After tasting through each 650-liter 1997 cask, Broadbent couldn’t believe how beautiful and unique each barrel was. He knew he had to create this single cask bottling.

Cracking this bottle, you’ll join a fellowship of American Madeira lovers that spans centuries. The signing of the Declaration of Independence was toasted with glasses of Madeira. We’ve tasted dating back to the 1864 Sercial from D’Oliveiras. It was an incredibly profound and moving wine, and showed us how immortal these wines could be—and how they just get more ethereal and nuanced with age.

Madeira lives longer than just about any other wine because it has been fortified, and because it rests in non-temperature-controlled rooms while aging. The wine gets warm during this time—a process known as maderization—and it oxidizes, picking up its signature nutty aromas and flavors. The result is a stately wine that’s practically immortal. Every wine lover should experience a bottle like this at least once.