Barbeito Boal Reserva 5YO (Half Bottle)

Description

One of the smallest of all Madeira producers, and only founded in 1946 by Ricardo's grandfather, and yet with an extraordinary reputation. Ricardo Diogo de Freitas took over the winemaking at the family firm in 1993, and hasn't looked back. He possesses energy in spades - eRobertParker calls him the Island's "Gamechanger" and its easy to see why, but risks overlooking his commitment to tradition, or at least the reinvention of it. So, Ricardo has been the first to install robotic lagares on the island, the first to bottle vineyard specific Tinta Negra (his Single Harvest, which has to be tasted to be believed), the first to not bottle anything with added caramel, and so the list goes on. Single Cask bottlings, whilst thought of as revolutionary on Madeira, when Ricardo launched the first one (in modern times) in 2003, were really only inspired by the way things were done in older times. 

Naturally cask aged Boal.  Medium sweet in character. Delightful on its own, but partners very well with semi-sweet dishes (such as poached figs, ginger cake), and can be very successful with a cheeseboard.