Medium colour. The fruit is red at the core and mingles with earth and faint iron and spice. Lovely width and dimension. Although the tannin is largely ‘latent’ I’m almost chewing this wine – to great effect with dark flavours of licorice in the mid-palate. Good length – super.

This has an impressive, deep, sweet, caramel old wine nose; no funk, no nasties just ‘irony’ (not ironic) and interesting for sniff after sniff. Smooth on the palate, it expands very nicely as you move towards the finish. The tannins are very well managed unlike (still) some from ‘76. Very alive, some elegance and quite some personality. Like many older Girouds, it doesn’t show quite the complexity you expect from the age – or the length, but despite not classing it as ‘great’, I would certainly class it as a lovely glass that was much appreciated.