Andrew Jefford: Tawny russet, though walnut is beginning to color the scene, too. A slightly heavy, slightly ponderous aromatic profile but well constituted, and the inquisitive nose can unearth red berries, mint, peach, and apricot, all agreeably fogged by age. Later, you get a sense of old staves, soaked in sweet wine. On the palate, the wine is intense yet comforting; comfortable. The red fruits are modulating into raisin and smoke and fruitcake sweetness; the tannic trace is slight now, yet age hasn’t robbed the wine of any of its mass or presence. Dense and meditative 16

Richard Mayson: True tawny in appearance, though slightly darker than the previous wine; rich fruitcake character, with a touch of dark chocolate, rather more obvious; intensely rich and sweet, lovely depth in between milk and dark chocolate, with marked tannic grip rising in the mouth, rich and firm on the finish. Suggests a young to middle-aged colheita 16.5 Jancis Robinson: Dark old tawny. Smells of chocolatecovered raisins. Very round and sweet on the front palate, and then it all tightens up to be dominated by rancio character. Much drier in both senses on the finish than on the nose. Assertive but quite astringent, with the merest suggestion of a hole in the middle. Drink 2005–20 17