The Madeira Boston Bual Special Reserve is one of the richest and most potent of the Madeiras in the Rare Wine Co.’s Historic Series. A dark, brooding Madeira, the Boston Bual is packed with dark macerated cherry, mocha, spice, worn-in leather, tobacco and dried herbs. It’s a beautiful Madeira to drink at the end of a meal with cheese or bittersweet chocolate, which seems like the most obvious choice. This is an especially large-scaled, dramatic Madeira. L22203.

92+ The Boston Bual bottling from the Rare Wine Company is really a very pretty wine that offers up excellent value, as it wafts from the glass in a blend or orange zest, coffee, a lovely touch of toasted nuts and a gentle topnote of caramel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and only moderately sweet, with a lovely core, bright, tangy acids and very fine length and grip that closes with a fine note of spiciness. This has about three percent residual sugar, and with its lively acidity, the wine comes off as more off-dry than sweet in style. A fine bottle.