Mid straw in colour. Quite fresh, some minerality, lanolin and mellow bees wax nose. Fresher and cleaner than the GR, this is a further step up on a half of this at Gidleigh a couple of years back. Smooth with a depth and mellowness that is deceptively easy and yet a building complexity than continues to develop through the evening. Not the richness of a recent 81 GR, but close on its heals for complexity, depth and interest. ****

Mid garnet, browning at the edges. Slightly fusty nose, lots of mellow leather with the faintest hint of spice and orange. Quite mellow. Palate relatively bright, good acidity, slightly spiked fruit. Seems to come and go a bit - the sense of a bit of TCA fruit-stripping but never a firm sign; 1/10 TCA perhaps. That said I like this, especially the subtle complexity on the nose, far more than the others do. Probably not a great example, but the nose continues to evolve and develop slowly, maintaining interest. ***1/2

Full to mid garnet, getting quite brown at the edge. Mellow, savoury, slightly beef tea nose. More subdues than the other two. Incredibly fleshy, plush velvet texture. Smooth and cosseting through the mid-palate to s slightly diffuse finish. Becomes a little muddy and drier with air, holds on to the texture though it does become a little frayed. The acidity subsumed by the extended oak to,give a mellow and rounded wine that's smooth and harmonious. Just a little light on complexity and persistence through the second half and it could do with a slightly sharper focus. Lovely though. ****

Seemingly so much fresher and brighter and fruitier than the 890 or Prado E. fresher acidity too. Deep ruby to dark garnet. Redder fruited nose with a patina of orange rind and a spicy element coming through the middle. Silk to the 890's velvet. Finer, more complex and more persistent too with a better defined line. Stays bright and true through the evening. Lots here. Another classic VR in the making? ****1/2

Mid gold. Nicely oxidative but with a fresh minerality. An interesting comparison with the 87 reserva last night – this is less intense and expressive, albeit very decent. ***1/2

Mid garnet. Quite a smoky dusty-fruited nose. Good acidity. Still a baby. Starts to open up a little, gently spicy on the nose. The dustiness has lifted and it’s picking up weight on the palate. Lovely, and good potential **(**)

Half bottle. A special Tondonia release from a parcel of vines planted in 1913 and 1914. Believed by L de H to be c1940 vintage. Mid upper shoulder fill. Old gold. Lovely nose of honey, beeswax and furniture polish with a touch of lanolin. Quite high acidity but rounding out with air and gaining richness. Flavour of marmalade (without the sweetness), so Seville orange is probably closest, cut with a little lime. Wonderfully rich with depth and length. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like mature Tondo this is ****1/2 qualitatively and a near-unique historical bottling.

Classic nose, but extra layers of flesh and density. Red fruit, gentle spice, a touch of orange albeit faint. Wonderfully sweet fruit on the attack. Gentle spice. Leather. A hint of the fireside. Wonderfully plush fruit. Holds well for two and a half hours before the acidity starts to come more in to play a little too prominently. Wonderful wine. *****

Fresher, brighter and lighter fruited on the nose. More of a sense of acidity providing some lift. Wonderful fruit, almost tropical with mango and passion fruit on the top notes. More savoury on the palate with bright red fruit, good acidity and touch of grilled mushroom. Long. Wonderful, but lacks some of the majesty of the 64 CVNE. ****1/2

A little less expressively fruity on the nose, more mineral backbone, and then more spicy fruit, red berries with a touch of leather, becoming more savoury and meaty and filling out without losing any of the fruit. So much better than Thursday’s bottle. Superb and holds up well over the almost four hours it’s open. *****