Blandy's 10 year old Bual a blend of wines with an average of 10 years in seasoned American oak casks. The wines were aged at the family?s Lodge in Funchal in the traditional ?Canteiro? system, whereby the wine is gradually transferred from the higher floors where the temperatures are higher, to the middle floors and eventually to the ground floor where temperatures are cooler. The process of transferring the barrels is absolutely critical to ensure the right balance of ullage and concentration. All through the ageing process, the primary fruit flavours of the wine are gently transformed into tertiary dried fruit notes that produce unique Madeira hallmark bouquet.
The family works with 29 Boal (or Bual) farmers predominately from the south coast of the island between Ribeira Brava and Calheta. Relatively easy to grown and quite vigorous, the berry benefits from the long hours of sunlight found in this region of the island. Also known in Portugal as “Malvasia Fina”, this varietal is picked relatively early on during harvest and produces a medium rich style of wine.
