Blandy's Terrantez Madeira 1987

96 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "The 1987 Terrantez was produced with grapes from the prestigious Câmara de Lobos and matured in pipas (650-liter) for years until it was recently bottled. It hit the scale at 20% alcohol and has a pH of 3.31 and 95 grams of unfermented sugar. This is a special wine, with the acidity of Sercial, the sweetness of a Boal and with the palate showing great balance; the attack is sweet but it finishes fairly dry. It has roundness and finesse. 1,248 bottles and some larger and smaller formats were produced. It was bottled in April 2024. Drink: 2024-2040. (12/5/24)"

95 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 1987 Terrantez comes from the vestige of plantings on the island in Cãmara de Lobos; this release has 95g/L residual sugar and 10.32g/L total acidity. The nose is beautiful, harmonious and nuanced: Seville orange marmalade, fig jam, smoke and light waxy aromas. This attests to a supremely gifted grape variety. The palate is well-balanced, with a honeyed texture and a keen thread of acidity. It's effervescent in the mouth. Peppercorns and orange rind appear towards a finish that fans out gloriously and lingers. Beautiful. 1,248 bottles released (plus other formats). Drink: 2024-2050. (Sep 2024)"

95 points Wine Spectator: "[$450 list] This offers an up-front feel, with a mix of dried fig, papaya and blood orange notes laced with walnut and hazelnut husk accents. A long, prominent Brazil nut echo on the racy finish adds a distinctive edge and admirable length. Drink now. 100 cases made, 20 cases imported. (11/11/24)"

94 points/'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "Made from the rarest of varieties, found in only a few parcels in Madeira because it is so low yielding, this is a medium-sweet wine. It is an impressive survivor, a wood-aged wine that is so dense and concentrated. Beautifully rounded, cut with spirit, the wine is ready to drink. Alcohol 20%. (Nov 2024)"

19.5/20 points Richard Hemming, MW (JancisRobinson.com): "Bottled 2024. Extraordinary complexity – there's a sense of the divine here – not least through the miracle of how this wine has matured through all those years. There are sweet spices, varnish, caramel and really delicious pear fruit as well. Long, long and long. A full museum collection of flavour, all in one glass. Drinking Window: 2024-2067. (10/16/24)"

Importer notes: "Blandy’s Terrantez 1987 was aged in seasoned American oak casks in the traditional ‘Canteiro’ system (650L), whereby the wine is gently heated by warm air in the los of the family’s south-facing lodge in Funchal. The wine moved to the warmest top floor of the Blandy’s Wine Lodge, the 'Sotão de Amendoa', where it remained for 1 year. It then passed down to the middle floor and eventually to the ground floor, where it remained until being bottled. The art of finding the right balance between concentration and the eshness of the wine lies in the winemaker’s decision when to transfer the wine to the lower, cooler north-facing floors of the lodge."