Cossart & Gordon, Verdelho 0.75L 19%, 5-year; Cossart & Gordon, Bual 0.75L 19%, 5-year; Cossart & Gordon, Malmsey 0.75L 19%, 10-year; Cossart Gordon & Co. was founded in 1745 and is the oldest wine company in Madeira. Francis Newton, a young Scotsman, sailed from Gravesend in the UK and arrived in Madeira on September 12, 1745, where he founded the company. He was joined by his younger brother Thomas in 1758- 1763, followed by another Scotsman, Thomas Gordon of Balmaghie, also in 1758. Thomas Murdoch joined the firm of Newton, Gordon, Murdoch & Co. in 1791. By 1850, the company was reportedly supplying "half of the island's growth," and Newton's contacts in America through his brother Andrew (who had left Scotland for Virginia) proved very successful and the company gained an unrivaled reputation for supplying sophisticated Madeiras. The North American colonies were the largest and most demanding market at the time, so much so that the best production was commonly known as "America Madeira." Estimated price: £560-610
