December 14, 2023 - From a magnum, decanted for 45 mins
Gorgeous nose, sous bois and barnyard, classic Margaux florals
Candied cherry, blackberry, mushroomy earth
Tannins emerged after 1 hour, still soft and rich
Sanguine tang, lingering medium long finish
In great place now, will hold for a few more years, but why wait?
June 17, 2023 - Dark red, cork in perfect condition. Immediately fragrant, sweet red fruits wafting out of the glass from the first pour. This has more life in it than the age might suggest, with the fruit persisting quite condfidently into the mid palate before being overtaken by tertiary elements like leather and dusty old school desks. Oh how I love old claret, seemingly no other wine can do this in quite the same way. The finish is on the short side, and if there is any other criticism it is that the wine is slightly on the thin side, but altogether this is a solid package given the age and there is even a nice little lick of tannin at the end as well. On this showing I think you could happily leave this for a bit; if by some miracle you have a few there is no immediate hurry. Not decanted, but in any event not much sediment. Another success for the Wine Society "old" mystery case - 3/3.
June 10, 2023 - Stored in a cold cellar since release. Fill just under cork. Cork broke. Wine in good condition. Bouquet of black fruit. Full bodied good concentration but rather foursquare lacking Margaux finesse. Holding well with no hurry to drink but no point to keep.
December 25, 2022 - Christmas Day 2022 (My place, Kent Street): Popped and poured. Starts off a little muted (unsurprisingly) but opens to show fresh Autumn berry fruits, a smidge of rhubarb, persistent drying tannins that play very nicely with the lamb rack, a little gamey and umami underpin. Great match, great food wine.
March 13, 2022 - Supper matches (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas....with agitation starts to show slightly gamey, meaty notes, sweet spice, cedar, leather, black hued fruits - a little bramble and plum, forest floor. Juicy, tangy, the fruit is beginning to dry out very slightly , tannins are persistent, moderately drying, all travel long with a little beetroot note on the the finish. Okay.
December 31, 2020 - Ruby with only a hint of brick. The nose is really pongs of poo, farmyard floor, damp hay, mud, can’t get beyond that. Thankfully it tastes better than it smells with blackberry and blackcurrant flavours plus those tertiary, earthy, barnyard flavours. Medium weight, fully mature old school claret, decent length and enjoyable but the barnyard aromas are little overwhelming on this bottle so my score is a little lower than the other bottles.
October 31, 2020 - Chateau d'Angludet mini vertical (KC's place): From Coravin. medium minus intensity aromas of black fruits, forest floor, earth, sweet spice and a little cedar. Juicy, almost sour, black fruits with plentiful tannins and grip, spice, leathery edges. Nicer than I remember this. Long.
October 18, 2020 - Aromas of barnyard initially, damp earth and black fruit. The palate still has plush blackberry fruit but there’s also pencil shavings, cedar, perfume plus that funky, earthy note which I like in a wine. Excellent, mature claret.
July 4, 2020 - Still holding up very well, fruit is now soft and gentle and tannins have completely melted away, very enjoyable
May 8, 2020 - A very pleasant surprise. A bit of funk on the nose but lovely, smooth claret that still has lots of life in it. The fruit is more bitter than sweet. Blackberries, black tea, mint, leather and some ferrous notes. We drank it without food but suspect it would be a good partner to lamb, duck, steak or aged cheese. Will not last forever but would think at least five good years left in it.