| Vintage | Tasting Notes |
|---|
| 1980 | Mid brick-red. Ethereal and very attractive on the nose with sweet violets, cedar, leather, cigar, blackberry jam and sappy tea-leaf hints. The palate is soft sweet velvety and surprisingly fresh with leafy varietal characters, developed fruits, dried herbs, firm acid, good length and fine grained tannins. |
| 1981 | Mid brick-red. The sweet and slightly jammy nose has earthy, slightly toasty oak, cigar box, leather, toffee, cedar, chocolate and cassis aromas with vegetal sappy hints. The juicy palate shows firm acid structure, sweet plum and complex cedar flavours, with good texture and velvety fine grained tannins. |
| 1982 | Crimson/brick-red. Complex sweet lifted aromas of chocolate, coffee, violets, cassis, tar and cedar with earthy, leathery, jammy hints. The lively palate is sweet, leafy and cedary, rich lush full and complex showing good concentration, texture, structure and length with ripe fine grained tannins. |
| 1983 | Crimson/brick-red. Sweet smoky toasty aromas with ripe plum and blackberry, cedar, tea-leaf, violets and leathery hints. The light palate is sweet and juicy, showing developed mint, herbs and stalky fine grained tannins, elegant velvety texture and good acid. |
| 1984 | Dark crimson/brick-red. The lifted aromas are sweet exotic and earthy, slightly foresty with chocolate, fresh blackcurrent, plum jam, violets and cedary dried herbs. Broad and earthy on the palate with a complex blend of herbal flavours, cedar and cigar, it is rich lush and juicy with a core of sweetness, good concentration, layered texture and long velvety fine grained ripe tannins. |
| 1985 | Crimson/brick-red. Sweet earth, leather and tobacco fragrances mix with slightly sappy, herbal, minty green-bean varietal aromas and violets, cedar and cherry plum jam. The sweet juicy palate is tight and shows good acidity, developed fruits, leafy tobacco, bay leaf and papery, slightly chewy fine grained tannins. |
| 1986 | Dark crimson/brick-red. Rich, complex aromas of leather, cedar, earth, chocolate, tar, iodine, blackberry jam and ripe blackcurrant fruit, roast meats, fresh herbs and cigar box. The rich full palate is concentrated and well balanced. Long, soft and surprisingly youthful showing a sweet fruit core with complex choc-mint flavours, lush layers of texture and rich chewy mature fine grained tannins. |
| 1987 | Crimson/brick-red. Sweet sappy and slightly herbal/minty aromas with violets, cassis, cherry plum and foresty, earthy, leathery hints. The long lean palate is juicy and sappy showing good tight acidity with grippy, chewy, fine grained drying tannins. |
| 1988 | Crimson/brick-red. Ripe cherry/ blackberry jam, blackcurrant-plum aromas with violets, chocolate and hints of vanilla, cedar, leather and earth. Rich, lush, concentrated and still very fresh with complex tobacco, layers of texture, ripe chewy tannins, ripe fruits and a long finish. |
| 1989 | Crimson/brick-red. Sweet and earthy on the nose with iodine, tar, leather, green-bean, some vanillin oak, plum jam and violets. The palate is sweet and jammy, slightly sappy with rich chocolate, violets and chewy fine grained tannins. |
