Very similar to my previous note, slightly more relaxed perhaps. Delightful and very stylish.

First bottle from a half case. Nowhere near as daunting and acidic as I had anticipated, in fact it is rich and vinous and full-bodied, but also elegant and mineral, seamless and refined, long and nuanced finish. Pretty grand actually.

Identical to my previous note.

Continues to enthrall. Intense but lively colour; intense, fascinating and complex nose of almond, white flowers, honey, violets, dried apricot and tropical fruits; seamless and extremely stylish palate, delightfully fresh and rich at the same time, so silky and refined, beautifully balanced and elegant, concentrated, noisette; fabulous resonance and length. Marvellous.

A slightly tired bottle, starts out fresh and floral but drifts off into yellow apple-and-honey territory quickly. Disappointing.

Largely consistent with my note from October 2015. In fine fettle at sixteen years of age, the flavours are on the lighter side but perfectly typical and structurally this is still absolutely sound.

A modest but very charming Pomerol, making the most of the warm year. Good fruit, lovely terroir expression, très Pomerol, has lost quite a bit of its richness on the second day, so probably best not to wait too long.

Half bottle, 8.5% ABV. Medium golden colour; lovely nose of honey and dried tropical fruit, with some floral lift; sweet and concentrated but lively palate, lovely flavours of pineapple and maracuja, juicy acidity; complete finish, good length.

Bottled 1991, so 25 years on oak and 27 years in bottle. Level into neck, good cork. Very pale tawny colour; lots of salty concentration (especially on the nose) but relatively little charm or fragrance; delicately sweet palate with some candied fruit; salty finish with notes of caramel and coffee, very good length. Quite a powerhouse, but very uncompromising in style, like some Oloroso sherries can be. Commands respect rather than love. Double decanting softens it a bit.

A fascinating old bottle of Bénédictine, most likely from the 1940’s, recently acquired at auction. Driven cork, loads of sediment (beeswings). Decanted. With so much alcohol (43% ABV) and sugar present, it is not surprising that this has survived its 70-odd years in bottle very well. Pale golden colour, looks beautiful in the decanter; intensely herbal nose, pungent, with a hint of sweetness; sweet and concentrated palate, rich and soothing, lively and without any signs of decay; hot and fiery finish, very good length. Hardly a refined drink, but the power more than makes up for that.