Bual is the English term named after the Portuguese Boal grape. The white wine grape variety refers to a handful of grapes, but it typically refers to the Bual de Madeira grape type. Bual wines are typically sweet wines that are produced from large and sweet grapes. The heaviness and flavor of the Bual grapes make them delicious table grapes. The taste of these grapes is similar to the Sercial variety. The bual grape type is a great place to start if one is trying Madeira wines for the first time. Bual wine is typically aromatic, but is not too sweet. This wine has hints of acidity, which helps balance the sweetness of it. Although it is one of the darkest, if not the darkest of all wines from Madeira, the type is certainly not overpowering and is very palatable. Madeira wines from the Bual variety are usually not as sweet as wine crafted from the Malmsey grape type, but it is sweeter than other grape types. The hints of caramel, apricot, orange, and dried fruits lend Bual a distinct taste. The Bual vines typically grow in regions of Spain and Portugal, but the regions tend to use the variety for fortified wines.
Carmo Vinhos Madeira Bual 10 Yr has depth, medium body, acidity and sweetness. Lively and full with delicious flavors of caramel and toffee and a lasting aftertaste. Delicious as a dessert wine. This wine demonstrates the perfection of the blender's art and is to be savored.
San Giorgio Ugolforte presents a dark core of red and black berry fruit layered with earth, leather, smoke, and herbs. Complex and elegant, the wine is full on the palate and firm in tannin structure. Refreshing acidity frames a graceful finish. Classic Brunello di Montalcino.
This red is marked by cherry, plum, thyme, sage and loam aromas and flavors. Lively and firmly structured, featuring a saline undercurrent. An open-knit version, with nice equilibrium, fine energy and a long, resonant finish.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
-Wine Spectator 94 Points
A slope (un talud) leading up to a mountain where centuries of rock falls have left the soil beneath full of large angular rocks, and therefore useless for most agriculture. Deposited hugger-mugger amongst the clay and sand however, they offer perfect drainage and allow vines to grow, forcing their roots ever downwards in search of water, picking up minerals along the way. If you wanted to explain to someone what Cabernet Sauvignon tasted like, you could do a lot worse than showing them this beautiful expression of the variety which demonstrates great purity, concentration and elegance.
Review:
Talud is from the oldest cabernet sauvignon vineyards on Tabalí’s estate in the coastal Maipo zone, 50 kilometers from the Pacific, planted in 1999. The soils are colluvial, which often deliver firm, pointed tannins, and those are present here, but they’re very nicely accompanied by juicy red fruit and bright acidity that allows this wine to put its fresh, vibrant facet in the foreground. Take note, however, there are deep, dense flavors here. It’s still a very young cabernet, so make room in the cellar.
-Patricio Tapia - Descorchados 95 Points