PORT & MADEIRA ICONS
PORTUGAL 1965-PRESENT
This is what collecting is all about: 6 wines, including one aged 60 years and ranging from the exalted status of near-unicorn (a 98-pointer that is one of only 867 bottles produced) to a pair of knockout newer vintages that have to be reckoned value picks (a potential 99-pointer from 2017 for just $90, and a 97-pointer from 2022 for $105).
If I tell you that every one is either a Madeira or a Port, will that change how impressed you are? It shouldn't. These are extraordinary wines, period, full stop: expressions of great beauty, peerless mastery, and deep profundity from some of the most enduring names in the world of collecting: Blandy's, Prats & Symington, and Quinta do Vesúvio.
And in an instant-gratification world, when both answers and confusion can be had at the click of a button, they arrive as sorely needed reminders: nothing but nothing can replace the work of time.
To read the critics is to encounter the kind of language that you don’t often see in mere tasting notes.
The Blandy's collection tells its own remarkable story.
Their 1965 Sercial Heritage Collection spent 60 years aging in casks using the traditional canteiro system, stored in the warm lofts of Blandy's Wine Lodge in Funchal — a process that's remained unchanged since the family operation began in 1811.
Wine Enthusiast awarded it 98 points, declaring it “unforgettable” and hailing it for its "great intensity and tight acidity and spice.” With only 867 bottles in existence, this is a tantalizing buy for the serious collector.
As for the Malmsey and Bual, these are no slouches, at 30 and 32 years of age, respectively. Both took home 96 points from The Wine Spectator, which extolled them for the patient craftsmanship and control that defines them.
Even the younger expressions of this collection command serious respect.
The Wine Advocate awarded a potential 99 points to the Quinta do Vesúvio 2017 — 99 points for a $90 wine — and blitzed it with the most exalted adjectives: “luscious," "spectacular," and “stunning.” Decanter was nearly as enamored of the Quinta do Vesúvio 2022, a wine of "surprising freshness,” with a "rustic edge,” "polished fruit” and “powdery tannins.”
If there’s anything that unites these seven bottles, beyond the excellence of their execution, that is, we can point to the proud upholding of traditions that have survived the passage of time.
To buy any of these extraordinary bottles is not just to gift yourself one of the world’s great pleasures. It’s to make a statement about time and what endures and why.
Secure yours today!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Summer 2026. With the supply chain issues that we are seeing globally, there may be some unforeseen delays which could affect the ETA. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in KS, MI, NE, NM, NY, OK & TN. This offer will expire on Sunday, March 1st, 2026.