| Vintage Madeira The 1792 Blandy’s Madeira, the so-called “Napoleon” vintage "...when this wine was vintaged Marie Antoinette was still alive." |
The 1792 Blandy’s Madeira, the so-called “Napoleon” vintage
A unique cache of 12 bottles.
Vintage Madeira and the very fine old soleras are invariably rare, venerable and highly priced (although still astonishingly
cheap compared to similarly aged port, Bordeaux or Sauternes, none of which have anything like the same longevity).
Sustained both by fortification and by its high acidity, Madeira seems to be an almost indestructible wine: a vintage of 30
years age still being in its infancy, one of 60 barely in its prime and almost all vintages over 100 still alive and vigorous.
Vintage wines are hugely more desirable than soleras – a solera might contain only a small percentage - less than 5% - of the
original vintage, whereas a true vintage bottling will contain only wine from the year in question.
19th century vintage Madeira is increasingly scare and sought after, but 18th century Madeira, now entering its third
century, is most desirable of all.
All eighteenth century vintage Madeira is rare, but this Bual is arguably the most spectacular bottling of all. Only the 1790
Terrantez can compare, but that, while just as rare, doesn’t have the same fascinating and romantic history.
On August 7, 1815, a British warship, the HMS Northumberland, taking Napoleon to St. Helena for his final exile stopped at
Madeira to take on supplies. Napoleon was persuaded to purchase a pipe of Madeira (A pipe is a barrel containing a little less
than 600 bottles). The pipe was never opened by Napoleon as he developed a severe gastric complaint and his doctors
forbade him to drink any alcohol. After the ex-Emperor’s death in 1821, there was a dispute over payment of the pipe and it
was returned to Madeira where it lay with Blandy’s until 1840. Most of the wine - an estimated 400 bottles - was then
used to make the famous solera of 1792, but some bottles - perhaps 200 - were filled using only the wine from Napoleon’s
pipe. These bottles are immensely rare, with only a few still in existence – this cache of 12 is probably the largest holding
extant anywhere. Occasionally bottles from the 1792 solera come on to the market, but an opportunity to buy even a single
bottle of the unadulterated vintage 1792 wine is a very rare event indeed.
A bottle of this wine was opened as a special honour for Sir Winston Churchill on a visit to Madeira in 1950. Sir Winston
insisted on serving each guest himself, asking "Do you realise that when this wine was vintaged Marie Antoinette was still
alive?".
In 1792 the French revolution was reaching its climax – in August the Tuileres Palace was stormed and Louis XVI arrested
and taken into custody. In 1792 Mozart had been dead for less than a year and Rossini was born. George Washington was
President of the United States.
The bottles are in excellent original condition with very good levels - top shoulder or base of neck - but no longer have any
labels or stencilling at all. This is typical of this bottling in particular, and 18th century vintage Madeira in general - those
bottles that are found labelled usually have more modern labels applied afterwards, by Christies amongst others. The bottles
were purchased in the late 1980's by a senior and highly respected member of the British wine trade, who personally
vouches for their provenance as follows:
"These wines were personally removed by me many years ago from the cellars of Abbey Leix in Ireland, the then home of
Viscount de Vesci. I have seen the cellar records to confirm that the details are correct – 1792 Blandy’s Madeira."
To the best of his knowledge the bottles were purchased by the de Vesci’s in the mid nineteenth century directly from
Blandy’s and never touched until he purchased them from the family over a decade ago. He's tasted one of the bottles, and
says it is absolutely superb, the finest Madeira he's ever drunk. Of course it's a pity there isn't a trace of the original stencil
or label still remaining, but this isn't at all unusual for bottles of this age. The provenance - critically important for wines
more than two centuries old - is extraordinarily well documented. The bottles themselves are hand-blown black glass with
deep punts, and quite clearly late 18th century/early 19th century.
A unique cache of 12 bottles.
Vintage Madeira and the very fine old soleras are invariably rare, venerable and highly priced (although still astonishingly
cheap compared to similarly aged port, Bordeaux or Sauternes, none of which have anything like the same longevity).
Sustained both by fortification and by its high acidity, Madeira seems to be an almost indestructible wine: a vintage of 30
years age still being in its infancy, one of 60 barely in its prime and almost all vintages over 100 still alive and vigorous.
Vintage wines are hugely more desirable than soleras – a solera might contain only a small percentage - less than 5% - of the
original vintage, whereas a true vintage bottling will contain only wine from the year in question.
19th century vintage Madeira is increasingly scare and sought after, but 18th century Madeira, now entering its third
century, is most desirable of all.
All eighteenth century vintage Madeira is rare, but this Bual is arguably the most spectacular bottling of all. Only the 1790
Terrantez can compare, but that, while just as rare, doesn’t have the same fascinating and romantic history.
On August 7, 1815, a British warship, the HMS Northumberland, taking Napoleon to St. Helena for his final exile stopped at
Madeira to take on supplies. Napoleon was persuaded to purchase a pipe of Madeira (A pipe is a barrel containing a little less
than 600 bottles). The pipe was never opened by Napoleon as he developed a severe gastric complaint and his doctors
forbade him to drink any alcohol. After the ex-Emperor’s death in 1821, there was a dispute over payment of the pipe and it
was returned to Madeira where it lay with Blandy’s until 1840. Most of the wine - an estimated 400 bottles - was then
used to make the famous solera of 1792, but some bottles - perhaps 200 - were filled using only the wine from Napoleon’s
pipe. These bottles are immensely rare, with only a few still in existence – this cache of 12 is probably the largest holding
extant anywhere. Occasionally bottles from the 1792 solera come on to the market, but an opportunity to buy even a single
bottle of the unadulterated vintage 1792 wine is a very rare event indeed.
A bottle of this wine was opened as a special honour for Sir Winston Churchill on a visit to Madeira in 1950. Sir Winston
insisted on serving each guest himself, asking "Do you realise that when this wine was vintaged Marie Antoinette was still
alive?".
In 1792 the French revolution was reaching its climax – in August the Tuileres Palace was stormed and Louis XVI arrested
and taken into custody. In 1792 Mozart had been dead for less than a year and Rossini was born. George Washington was
President of the United States.
The bottles are in excellent original condition with very good levels - top shoulder or base of neck - but no longer have any
labels or stencilling at all. This is typical of this bottling in particular, and 18th century vintage Madeira in general - those
bottles that are found labelled usually have more modern labels applied afterwards, by Christies amongst others. The bottles
were purchased in the late 1980's by a senior and highly respected member of the British wine trade, who personally
vouches for their provenance as follows:
"These wines were personally removed by me many years ago from the cellars of Abbey Leix in Ireland, the then home of
Viscount de Vesci. I have seen the cellar records to confirm that the details are correct – 1792 Blandy’s Madeira."
To the best of his knowledge the bottles were purchased by the de Vesci’s in the mid nineteenth century directly from
Blandy’s and never touched until he purchased them from the family over a decade ago. He's tasted one of the bottles, and
says it is absolutely superb, the finest Madeira he's ever drunk. Of course it's a pity there isn't a trace of the original stencil
or label still remaining, but this isn't at all unusual for bottles of this age. The provenance - critically important for wines
more than two centuries old - is extraordinarily well documented. The bottles themselves are hand-blown black glass with
deep punts, and quite clearly late 18th century/early 19th century.
| The 1792 Blandy's Madeira SOLD Click on the thumbnails to see enlarged images. |
Another example of the same
bottling, from a continental
collection. Note the distinctive
shape of the hand-blown bottle,
which appears to be unique to this
particular vintage.
bottling, from a continental
collection. Note the distinctive
shape of the hand-blown bottle,
which appears to be unique to this
particular vintage.
The sale of Abbey Leix, where the bottles lay for more than a century,
in the mid 1990's.
Click on the thumbnails to see enlarged images.
in the mid 1990's.
Click on the thumbnails to see enlarged images.
A late eighteenth century Bual, in a
marvellously lobsided bottle, from the
same cellars. SOLD.
Click on the thumbnail to see an
enlarged image.
marvellously lobsided bottle, from the
same cellars. SOLD.
Click on the thumbnail to see an
enlarged image.
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1808 Blandy's solera "Luscious Malmsey", bottled around 1910.
One of the greatest vintages in history, and Noel Cossart is quoted in
Michael Broadbent's book as describing this particular Malmsey as "the
best ever known". Broadbent gives it his maximum 5 stars
("richness...power...gloriously harmonious bouquet, caramel, toffee...").
This was the only Madeira that Blandy's ever described as "Luscious"
on the label, and it's known as "The Luscious Solera". Photos attached.
Since as often happens with these Blandy's bottlings the neck label
has faded to illegibility, an auction house at some stage has added the
additional modern label with the date. But the main label is still clearly
readable "Luscious Malmsey".
A blockbuster Madeira from a two century old vintage. SOLD.
Click on the thumbnail to see an enlarged image.
One of the greatest vintages in history, and Noel Cossart is quoted in
Michael Broadbent's book as describing this particular Malmsey as "the
best ever known". Broadbent gives it his maximum 5 stars
("richness...power...gloriously harmonious bouquet, caramel, toffee...").
This was the only Madeira that Blandy's ever described as "Luscious"
on the label, and it's known as "The Luscious Solera". Photos attached.
Since as often happens with these Blandy's bottlings the neck label
has faded to illegibility, an auction house at some stage has added the
additional modern label with the date. But the main label is still clearly
readable "Luscious Malmsey".
A blockbuster Madeira from a two century old vintage. SOLD.
Click on the thumbnail to see an enlarged image.