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Deep red colour, centre just off opaque. More closed on the nose than the '66 shown alongside. Offering sweet candy and quince on the nose. Sweet in the mouth, still showing plenty of cheek-drying tannins. Good complexity in the mouth with plenty of layers of flavours. Long and delicious aftertaste, with sweet strawberry lingering for a long time. This is good now, but will lose its excessive burliness over the next 5-20 years and will be much better then. 92/100, drunk 14 October 2009 after 8 hours decanting.

The final sample from this bottle is being used to toast AHB on his 46th birthday, one week after decanting.

Extremely dark, almost opaque in the centre of the glass. Closed nose. Huge, thick and brooding. Dark fruits with spice on the mid palate. Massive tannins in the finish. This is undoubtedly the best bottle of F70 I have ever had. Although only a few year passed between the production of the F63 and F66 that accompanied it this shows an immaturity that puts those other wines slightly in the shade. Fabulous.

Is this as good as it gets? Could F85 reach even higher? I'm sure we will have lots of fun seeing if it does