RWC Thomas Jefferson Special Reserve Madiera

As an American, Thomas Jefferson had no peer in his appreciation of French wines.  But that seed wasn’t planted until he was in his forties, by which time he’d been passionate about Madeira for at least 20 years.

Born in 1743, Jefferson came of age at a time when Madeira was the king of wine in America—always present on affluent tables and ready to toast important events.

For years, we’ve wanted to honor Jefferson’s love of Madeira with a commemorative bottling as part of our Historic Series. And in 2012, The Thomas Jefferson Foundation and Monticello agreed to collaborate with us on this project.

After more than a year’s work—perfecting the blend and producing the wine—we launched it with a tasting and lecture at Monticello on October 9, 2013.  Joining us was Ricardo Freitas, who’d masterfully blended the wine, and Monticello’s resident wine historian, Gabriele Rausse.

The wine itself is a spectacular fusion of elegance and depth, and youth and antiquity. The oldest component in the blend is more than 80 years old, a fact that Jefferson would undoubtedly have appreciated.