1995 Madeira Cossart Gordon Bual Fortificado

Description

Cossart Gordon & Co. was founded in 1745 and is the oldest company in the Madeira‑wine trade. Francis Newton, a young Scotsman, set sail from Gravesend in Great Britain and arrived in Madeira on 12 September 1745, founding the company. His younger brother Thomas joined him from 1758 to 1763, and later another Scotsman, Thomas Gordon of Balmaghie, also joined in 1758. The Cossart family has been among the most influential on the island for almost two centuries. The most authoritative book on Madeira, *Madeira: The Island Vineyard*, was written by Noël Cossart, a former senior partner of the firm, born on the island in 1907. To this day, Cossart Gordon Madeira is considered the finest available. The Madeira Wine Company was originally an association of several Madeira‑wine producers who decided to combine forces to strengthen their buying and wine‑production capabilities. The association was founded in 1913. During periods of disagreement, the old family firms of Blandy’s and Leacock merged, followed immediately by the dispute over Miles and Cossart Gordon, creating the largest producer and exporter of Madeira wine. Whatever its size, preserving the unique characteristics and style of each individual company was central to the association’s mission. By the late 1970s, the interests in the Madeira Wine Company—then known by that name—had narrowed to only a handful of the original families, with the Blandy family holding the controlling share. In 1989, the Blandy family, needing to reinforce the sales and marketing side of the business, invited the Symington family from Porto, Portugal, to partner with them. This partnership has continued to the present day, enabling the Madeira Wine Company to play a leading role in developing the Madeira‑wine trade. The year of bottling may not match the image shown. (Image purely illustrative.)