Yield 26.35 hl/ha – or 1,432 cases. I spent 40 minutes with this wine and despite how impressive it was – I didn’t seem to find too much to write! The nose starts slightly understated – hints of cedar and plenty of spicy interest. Slowly it becomes smoother and wider with faint caramel and coffee, eventually showcasing nice precise red fruits. Here is yet another character – more forward and ebullient. Super length with plenty of attack.

The nose starts in a similar vein to that of the GE; exciting, deep, musky, before broading to an even wider panorama of powdery red fruit aromas. Mouthfilling and concentrated. There is an easily preceptible extra density to this wine. The marvellous finish is easily a match for the GE, and overall, this is the first wine that manages to better it. Superb.

Unfortunately our planned bottle of 1971 was corked, so this was the back-up bottle. Consistent colour with 86 and 78. Slightly mineral nose, some sweetness, smokey bacon covered with caramel coupled with fresh higher tones. The acidity is not quite so refined as the others – parallel here with the hot vintage and 1997 – and the tannins still have a grainy texture, but the fruit has real intensity. A very interesting bottle that (again) like the 1997 took on more balance with aeration and time. A very worthy backup.

Corked – shame!

Medium colour. The nose starts rather closed vs the other wines, taking rather a while to develop – ends up like a less intense, perhaps ‘junior’ 1978 – no bad thing! The palate is less explosive than most of the others, but the intensity still grows and grows in your mouth. Perfect texture and lovely acidity. It has everything that the other wines have, but on a slightly lower register – perhaps it’s starting to fade – it is, however, a beautiful thing.

What a wine! It’s actually a little deeper in colour than all the preceding wines – until you reach the 1990. The sweet nose has truffles and subtle rose petals, slowly expanding to provide a wonderful panorama of notes. Again beautiful texture and volume in the mouth, there’s even still a bite of tannin in the finish. Once again a wine that builds and builds in the mouth – Bravo. On this showing as good as the 1978 even if the 78 has a little more aromatic intensity.

A wine that set the tone (hue) for the colour of the other wines – despite it’s relative youth, this wine was an old mahogany colour of medium-plus depth. On opening, this wine showed mushroom, forest-floor, inflections of soil, a deep peppery undertone and eventually a baked cherry note. Less round than the 2002 – the acidity sticks out a little. There is good length and weight, but the elements are somewhat disparate. This was actually the only wine that required extended air-time to show its potential. One hour later there was more harmony, less mushroom and a very strong ‘family’ resemblance to the wines that followed it. Don’t be disappointed if you have this wine – I wouldn’t be!