Pale mid straw. A touch of bread. Lovely balance. Still quite fresh but starting to round out a little on the mid palate. Slightly richer than I expected. Nose opening nicely with a finely chalky minerality. ****

Lovely traditional nose, all cedar and cigar. A hint of richness to the fruit too. Classic 88 — thedrynesd quite prominent on the finish. Bare ****

Corked. Swimming pool nose but pretty corky palate.

Interesting nose. Quite savoury, a touch of tomato leaf. Sweet-fruited attack ahead of 88 profile, but more rounded and sweeter fruited than the Cos. A touch less complex but more harmonious and fun****

Stewed, evolved nose. The merlot comes through on the attack but overall a bit dry and lacking stamina. (*)**

Reassuringly Cordier. Some warm terracotta too. A sweet red fruit element too at its core. Drops of a little
On the finish but the attack is sound, decent even. A relative crowd pleaser. Quite rounded with balance. ****

Darker fruited. Quite bright. Dry, fairly austere and uncompromising. A touch lactic. Not showy but very harmonious. ****

Relatively mute on the nose. A richness, rather than sweetness to the attack. Lots of interest here. Complexity. ****

Corked.

Last from a half case and by far the richest. Darker and denser than the other wines this evening. Dense mulberry fruit. Very dense and svelte. Far richer than the other wines. A touch of mocha towards the finish. Lovely and really quite plush. ****

Cleaner and brighter than previous bottle in 2006. Dense but slightly dull dark red fruit nose. Quite dark fruited A savoury fragrant lingering scent. A touch of pepper too. Lots of nuance. Opens up nicely. Less obvious gras than the Baron but a touch more sophisticated. Lots here. Lovely. ****1/2

Half 1. Pretty much as it should be. Quite lush and lifted with coconut and tropical fruit. ****

2nd half. Darker and more evolved. Flatter on the nose, far less rich, tropical or lifted. More creme caramel than creme brûlée. Bare ****

Leaner, lighter, fresher. Far less sweet. Somewhat lean. More food gras than pudding. Medicinal on the finish. Bitter even. A touch of resin too. I’ve found Coutet 88 pretty variable, but this one is an outlier. **