‘Found’ in a Swiss auction for the price of a 2004 1er cru. Drunk at the domaine – and why not – despite their cellar of old wines, even David Croix hadn’t tried a Giroud ‘55. The bottle, label and capsule were absolutely correct, and the level was only about 4cm from the cork which, by some miracle, I removed (about 1 hour before pouring) in only two pieces without dropping bits in the wine. The colour held a very nice core of deep salmon red. The nose was most intruiging; deep and apparently oaky over a few truffle notes. Slowly the ‘oak’ fades and reveals something much more like coffee – little fruit but clearly very alive – over about 1 hour (it was shared between 9 of us) it continued to change. In the mouth it was a soft entry and a rather metallic taste, the acidity seeming a little coarse before a long and very engaging finish. With food the coarsness faded almost into the background. Not a great wine by any means, but captivating to spend an hour with!