Blandy's : Malmsey Vintage 1996

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the Malmsey Vintage 1996 from Blandy's

Tasting

Appearance

The wine shows a topaz hue with copper-gold highlights, a testament to its long time in cask.

Nose

The nose is exuberant and generous, driven by notes of spice and dried fruit, together with ripe fruit preserves, aged brandy and honey.

Palate

The palate is sweet, very rich and unctuous, carried by a long, warming finish.

A Rich, Generous Malmsey from Madeira, Signature of the House of Blandy's

The estate

Founded in 1811, the House of Blandy's is today the only founding family of the Madeira wine trade that still owns and runs its original company, on the island of Madeira, in the Terras Madeirenses wine-growing zone. Seven generations later, the brand combines tradition with an uncompromising commitment to quality, drawing on vineyards spread across the north and south of the island. Renowned for its exceptional sweet wines, matured using the Canteiro system, Blandy's embodies the continuity and authenticity of Madeiran expertise.

The vineyard

The grapes for this Malmsey come from São Jorge, on the island of Madeira, in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, some 900 km from the Portuguese coast. The vines are trained on trellises as well as in latada or pergola systems, on varied volcanic soils derived mainly from basalt, trachyte, tuff, scoria and conglomerates. The temperate, oceanic climate varies with altitude, temperature, humidity and rainfall, giving the grape variety a wonderful diversity of expression.

The vintage

The 1996 harvest was carried out by hand, with a quality-focused selection of the grapes, in several successive passes depending on the ripeness reached in each plot, a method that preserves the finest quality of fruit before vinification.

Vinification and maturation

This Portuguese wine was produced and matured using the Canteiro system, a traditional method in which the wine is aged in oak casks at ambient temperature, encouraging slow, gradual oxidation. This maturation, overseen by winemaker Francisco Albuquerque, continued for several decades before bottling, which took place in 2025.

Grape variety

This Madeira wine is made from Malmsey (Malvasia), the emblematic grape variety behind the sweetest and richest Madeiras.