1927 Madeira Leacock's Sercial S.J. (Engarrafado Em 1937) Fortificado

Description

Produced from the Sercial grape, it offers an intense bouquet with notes of polished exotic wood, a hint of varnish, smoke, dried fruits, and lemon peel. John Leacock sailed to Madeira from the United Kingdom after his father’s death in 1741, and at the age of 15 became the youngest apprentice at the Madeira trading firm Catanach and Murdoch, remaining there until his contract expired on 11 March 1749. During his apprenticeship he was in constant contact with an old friend, John Patient, who at that time lived in Charlestown, South Carolina, and suggested that they begin trading themselves. Leacock agreed, marking the birth of the now world‑famous company. In 1925, the wine industry was going through tough times, so both Leacock's and Blandy's joined forces and became part of the Madeira Wine Association, now the Madeira Wine Company. Today, Leacock's is one of the company’s leading brands, with major markets in the United States, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom. The Madeira Wine Company originally was an association of several Madeira wine producers who decided to unite their purchasing and production capabilities. This association was founded in 1913. During years of discord, the family businesses of Blandy's and Leacock merged, followed soon after by the dispute over Miles and Cossart Gordon, creating the largest producer and exporter of Madeira wine. Regardless of size, preserving the unique characteristics and style of each individual company was at the heart of the association’s focus. By the late 1970s, the interests in the Madeira Wine Company, as it was then known, had been reduced to only a handful of the original families, with the Blandy family holding the controlling share. In 1989, the Blandy family, needing to strengthen the sales and marketing side of the business, invited the Symington family from Porto, Portugal, to join them in partnership. This partnership has continued to this day, enabling the Madeira Wine Company to play a leading role in the development of the Madeira wine trade. (Illustrative image)