NV H & H Belem's - Madeira Doce (500ml)

Belém's traces its name to 1932, when the last surviving member of the Henriques family, known locally as João de Belém, gave the label its identity as a tribute to the family's ancestral home in Belém, a historic fishing village in Câmara de Lobos west of Funchal. The Henriques family itself had been established on the island since the 1850s, when the firm Henriques & Henriques was founded by landowners who had planted vineyards there since the fifteenth century. Belém's Madeira is still owned and produced today by Henriques & Henriques, one of the island's most respected houses and among the few Madeira producers to have owned and controlled its own vineyards throughout its history.

This Doce is made in the full, rich style typical of Madeira's sweeter wines, using Tinta Negra and other traditional grapes grown on the island's mineral-rich volcanic soils. The wine undergoes estufagem, the gentle heating process that develops Madeira's characteristic caramelized and oxidative character, and is aged a minimum of three years in old oak casks. Bottled at seventeen percent alcohol, notably lower than the nineteen to twenty percent typical of many Madeiras, it is built to be as versatile in the kitchen as it is at the table.

The wine shows firm concentration and complexity, with notes of mocha, toasted almond, and citrus oil layered over a faint sea spray character, all lifted by Madeira's signature bright acidity. It pairs well with blue-veined cheeses, foie gras, or a spiced curry, and works equally as a finishing touch in sauces or desserts like crème brûlée or toffee pudding.