1983 Bacalhoa Moscatel de Setubal Superior 20 Anos Portuguese Dessert Wine

This is a rare offering (only 2200 375ml bottles produced) of a 1983 Moscatel that aged for 20 years in old malt whiskey barrels.  An even tinier amount was released recently.  Aromatic, lifted, complex nose is fine and fresh with notes of old casks, tea and raisins. The palate has a firmly savoury character with a casky dimension and also great acidity. Complex and mature with a long spicy finish and rich raisiny sweetness.

95 points Wine Advocate, "The 1983 MOSCATEL DE SETUBAL SUPERIOR “20 ANOS” is a fine example of how exceptional this hidden treasure of Portugal can be. If anything, it seems even better now than when I first saw it. It is darkly colored (about 5 shades darker than the regular Moscatel, although that is hard to quantify), with a gorgeous, caramel and toffee flavor nuance. It shows fine acidity, notable penetration on the finish and terrific acidity cutting through the sugar and the fruit. It is so rich that the brandy is not even noticeable early on. It is very impressive. The aromatics are amazing as well—even with an empty glass you can smell it from several feet away. As I’ve said in the past, the drinking windows on these are a matter of conjecture; they last a good, long while. A window is just set out as a guidepost. This should be available here although the price for a 375ml is quite hideous—a function of scarcity and those “20 anos”--likely putting it out of most everyone’s reach. There were just 2,200 bottles produced."

Please note this is a 375ml bottle.