Mannie Berk | This wine is probably Verdelho and a rare surviving example of the glass-aged Madeiras popular in the USA in the 19th century. It came from the Goelet collection sold at Morrell & Co. in New York in 1999. The collection was extraordinary because it represented the buying and connoisseurship of at least four generations of Goelets, at one time the second wealthiest family in New York. The wine presumably came to New York on the ship, The Rebel. It is not clear whether 1840 is the date of importation or the vintage. But if it’s the former, the vintage is probably in the vicinity of 1838. The label also bears the name of William H Fearing, a wine merchant who for decades sold Madeiras to wealthy New Yorkers on behalf of William Neyle Habersham of Savannah. The February 1889 date on the label is presumably when Fearing transferred The Rebel from demijohn into bottle. The bottle was recorked on April 16, 1919, only a few months before the arrival of Prohibition.

Roy Hersh | Light golden color with a straw-gold rim, this was a polarizing bottle. The nose seemed flawed early on, with lots of chemical bottle-stink, which only partially blew off two hours later. Beneath the funky Elmer’s glue emerged pleasant scents of maple, crème anglaise, cedar, and leather, along with loads of VA. Better on the palate, while exhibiting little Verdelho character, and the tropical fruit appeared to be fading. Viscous and silky, and offering medium length on the finish. It was rather hard to wrap my brain around this. I can only assume this was an atypical showing that had nothing to do with its time in decanter. | 14