The last bottle of this didn’t show brilliantly, hopefully this does a little better. The colour has a much older, browner caste than I expect for a ’95. The aromas are not promising; quite beefy and hint bretty – I’m not really looking forward to putting it in my mouth! Some sweetness to the fruit, intensity too – it’s a rather macerated, spicy impression. The tannin is relatively understated and the acidity decently balanced. The texture has a reasonable soft and fat impression. Certainly much, much better than the last bottle or my I expectation given the nose. I’m thinking that there may be some slight bacterial spoilage here with this one. 10 left, hmm…

There’s some age in the colour, but the core is still a nice red. The nose is meaty, only a little leafy and eventually gives a very pretty redcurrant note. There’s a lift to the acidity, it’s even a little raw to start with, but it’s moderated with aeration. The concentration/intensity is reasonably good and whilst the tannin is well in the background it still manages to add a note of hardness. The overall impression today is a sweet/sour stance though the acidity provides a decently mouthwatering finish, yet is a long way from seamless. The jury’s out on this one – I’d leave it in the cellar another 3+ years as a starting point…