Winemaking: Blandy's 5 year old Verdelho underwent fermentation off the skins with natural yeast at temperatures between 18°C - 21°C in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. After approximately 4 days, fortification with grape brandy takes place, arresting fermentation at the desired degree of sweetness. Blandy's 5 year old Verdelho was aged in American oak casks in the traditional 'Canteiro' system. This comprises of the gentle heating of the wine in the lofts of the lodges in Funchal. Over the years the wine is transferred from the top floors to the middle floors and eventually to the ground floor where it is cooler. After this gradual 'estufagem' the wine underwent racking and fining before the blend was assembled and bottled.
Grape Varieties: Verdelho
Tasting Notes: Clear, topaz colour, with a golden rim. Complex nose, revealing a fresh bouquet with raisins, dried fruits, wood and spices.
Store and Serve Advices: As an aperitif serve at a temperature of 10ºC; as a dessert wine serve at 16ºC.
Food Pairing: Blandy's 5 year old Verdelho is fined and does not require decanting. It is excellent as an aperitif but is also exceedingly good with soups, feathered game and pate?s. It has been bottled when ready for drinking and will keep for several months after opening.
Reviews and Awards: . 92 points in Wine Spectator Magazine; . 89 points in CellarTracker; . 87 points in Robert Parker; . 87 points in Wine Enthusiast Magazine; . Silver medal in the International Wine Challenge 2001; . Silver medal in the International Wine Challenge 2002.
The non-vintage 5-Year-Old Verdelho offers light aromas of dried honey, marmalade, a faint adhesive note and a touch of heather. The palate is well-balanced with a pleasant, viscous texture. It shows more gumption and presence than the Sercial and possesses a more satisfying finish, with ginger, apricot and wild honey.
Grade 
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Wine Enthusiast — 07/01/2016
87 points - Blandys 5 years Verdelho Madeira
More elegant than many Madeiras in this price range, with delicate aromas and flavors of nuts, coffee and toffee that aren't overpowering. It's sweet and very smooth in the mouth, ending with honeyed flavors that are balanced by a lemony tang.
Grade 
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Wine Spectator — 07/01/2016
92 points - Blandys 5 years Verdelho Madeira
Crisp, with vibrant spicy notes to the dried peach, iodine, beeswax and creamy flavors. Butterscotch and dried apricot details linger on the finish. Drink now through 2025.
15,5 pts Revista de Vinhos - Intense garnet colour. InIntense aroma, predominant in red fruits, with ripe cherry and raspberry prevailing. The wild fruits and the...
90 pts Robert Parker - A limpid appearance with brilliant golden tones. Some dried fruit aromas, but also aromas typical of the variety such as tangerine and orange...
17 pts Vinho Grandes Escolhas - Dark violet colour. Very complex on the nose. Intense aromas of ripe red fruit nicely combined with fresh gum cistus notes and nutty...
Light, clear and bright garnet. Aromas of dried fruits, raisins, figs, prunes, passing nutty notes. The palate is dry, good body balance between acidity and alcohol...
15 pts Vinho Grandes Escolhas - A distinctive wine with a light citron-colour. Very fresh, with a fruity fragrance and well balanced acidity which results in a soft...
17 pts Revista de Vinhos - Intense garnet colour. Aroma suggesting very ripe black fruits blending beautifully with the spiciness imparted by the barrels. Elegant and...
86 pts CellarTracker - It has a beautiful red hue with fair hints as well as a fresh and delicate aroma, reminiscent of spices and nuts, acquired during the ageing in...
16 pts Jancis Robinson - Clear light amber color. Fine Verdelho nose with lots of spicy scents, pears in brandy, walnuts, tobacco, dust and vanilla. Elegance written...
96 pts Wine Spectator - It has a lively bouquet that comes racing out of the blocks with dried honey, apricot, quince and marmalade aromas. The palate is very...
91 pts Tom Cannavan - Medium tawny/gold colour. Seems a bit flabby and displaying too much flat oxidation at first, and a teacake fruitiness only emerges reluctantly....
Brown in color, lively aroma and something salty, with good iodized notes, dried fruits, all in an austere and not yet explicit style. Good texture of mouth, soft,...
97 pts Jamie Goode - Intensely perfumed – a full palate – concentrated vinosity – hints of fudge – opening out to a powerful, lingering aftertaste of black treacle.
17,5 pts Revista de Vinhos - Intense topaz color, with greenish and golden hues, brilliant crystalline. In the aroma a characteristic bouquet with intense notes of...
93 pts Jamie Goode - Clear, topaz colour with golden green highlights. Characteristic Madeira bouquet, with dried fruits, toffee, wood and spices. Medium sweet with a...
88 pts Wine Spectator - Sweet, yet appears to lack the concentration to match the bracing acidity and alcohol. Lovely nutty, toffee flavors and a hint of dried fig on...
98 pts Wine Spectator - A fine and balanced nose with intense fruits, smokiness and distinct nuttiness. The palate is clean and well rounded with a wonderfully bright...
92 pts CellarTracker - It has a lively bouquet that comes racing out of the blocks with dried honey, apricot, quince and marmalade aromas. The palate is very...
18,5 pts Jancis Robinson - Golden colour with green tinges. Exuberant and intensely perfumed, revealing an excellent complexity and elegance. Lingering in the mouth...
88 pts Tom Cannavan - Medium amber, barley sugar colour. Refined, fine barley sugar and lemon drop nose. Quite clean and aromatic, with not much wood or oxidation...
This wine has a topaz color with golden reflections, greenish gold nuances, bright crystalline and slow halo tears. Intense and complex aroma, highlighting the bouquet...
A fine and balanced nose with intense fruits, smokiness and distinct nuttiness. The palate is clean and well rounded with a wonderfully bright and clean acidity....
16,5 pts Revista de Vinhos - Very subtle aromas with floral savour of roses and peppermint. Delicate on the palate, with predominance of floral flavours, and with fresh ending.