Blandy's : Sercial Colheita Single Harvest 2009

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the Sercial Colheita Single Harvest 2009 Blandy's

Tasting notes

Appearance
The wine reveals an open topaz colour, enhanced by golden hues, with a crystalline brilliance that bears witness to careful ageing.

Nose
The bouquet is rich and characterful, driven by notes of candied citrus fruit, dried fruit, hints of iodine and a touch of spice that add complexity to the whole.

Palate
The attack is dry and fresh, enlivened by pronounced salinity and a beautiful citrus expression. The long finish leaves a retronasal imprint of spices and citrus chutney that prolongs the pleasure of tasting.

Food and wine pairings

This dry, saline Sercial lends itself readily to the aperitif, served with salted almonds, olives or seafood tapas. It also pairs well with smoked or marinated fish, carpaccios or ceviches, whose briny freshness it highlights. Its acidic tension also makes it an interesting companion for lightly matured hard cheeses, or for lightly sweetened citrus-based desserts, such as a lemon tart or a bitter orange entremets.

Serving and cellaring

Like most dry Madeiras, the Sercial Colheita Single Harvest 2009 is best served chilled, at around 12°C, in order to showcase its freshness and saline tension. After several years in bottle, it may develop a slight natural sediment: it is therefore advisable to decant it before serving. For storage, the bottle should be kept upright in a cool, dry place, at a constant temperature ideally below 16°C, and away from light.

Sercial Colheita Single Harvest 2009: Blandy's Dry and Saline Signature in Madeira

The estate

Founded in 1811 by John Blandy, the House of Blandy's is today the only family among the historic founders of the Madeira wine trade that still owns and runs its original brand and business. After more than two centuries and seven generations, governance now rests with Chris Blandy, Chairman of the Board, and Carlos Filipe, CEO. Located on the volcanic island of Madeira, the estate combines family tradition, a commitment to quality and increasingly integrated vineyard management, notably through its entity dedicated to grape production.

The vineyard

The grapes for this cuvée come mainly from Seixal, on the north coast of Madeira, an area renowned for its pronounced maritime influence. The vines are trained in latada or pergola, a traditional system suited to the island's rugged terrain. The harvest, entirely by hand, is carried out with a quality-focused selection staggered over several weeks, according to the ripeness of the grapes, on volcanic soils typical of the Terras Madeirenses.

The vintage

This Colheita comes exclusively from the 2009 harvest, picked by hand with a quality-focused selection of plots according to their degree of ripeness. The making of this vintage was entrusted to winemaker Francisco Albuquerque, who also supervised the bottling.

Winemaking and ageing

The Sercial Colheita Single Harvest 2009 was aged using the traditional canteiro system, in 650-litre casks, at ambient temperature, until the month of its bottling in 2022. This long, oxidative ageing, carried out under the responsibility of winemaker Francisco Albuquerque, allowed the aromatic complexity characteristic of this Madeira wine to develop.

Grape variety

This Portuguese wine is made from 100% Sercial, an emblematic white grape variety of Madeira, renowned for its ability to produce dry, vibrant wines that are particularly suited to ageing.