On Friday night we were invited round to T's lovely flat in the Barbican to try some of his 1954 Leacock's Verdelho, which he had discovered in his wardrobe (I make no comment) sadly not quite in time for the Leacock dinner.
We arrived late and somewhat frazzled, but the sight of not merely one but two bottles of fine madeira immediately cheered us up. T had recently acquired some 1966 Verdelho from d'Oliveiras and so we had them side by side.
The d'Oliveiras wine was dark brown and had a lovely thick, unctuous texture. It soothed the throat like cough medicine and had a fantastic balance of sweetness with a sharp kick at the end, which reminded me of Seville orange marmalade. G thought it was a recent bottling.
The Leacock's was noticeably lighter, more amber in colour, and more subtle and delicate on the palate, although again with an enjoyable citrussy bite on the finish. Both had been open for 4 days so were at their peak when we were drinking them.
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