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• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1955 Adam;
• 1955 Buckingham Palace Factory House Blend;
• 1955 Cockburn;
• 1955 Dow;
• 1955 Ferreira;
• 1955 Fonseca;
• 1955 González Byass;
• 1955 Graham;
• 1955 Mackenzie;
• 1955 Martinez;
• 1955 Niepoort;
• 1955 Quinta do Noval;
• 1955 Offley;
• 1955 Sandeman;
• 1955 Taylor;
• 1955 Warre;
• Placemats;
• Planning and arrangements.

Edit: and, with dinner,

• 1955 Chateau Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville in magnum.

D55: the same colour as D70, but not much nose. Lovely early- and late-plate, but a deep flaw about which I took no further notes mid-palate.

In the first flight competition (Ad, BPFHB, C, D, Fr, F, GB, and G) scoring 1 point, a third-place ranking from AP.

My note says "Strange nose. Lovely soft & delicious entry but then quite hot in the finish." As the night wore on the strange nose confirmed itself to be TCA.

A mature shade of mid-red, 40% opaque. Slightly corked on the nose. Dry and woody on the palate, full of dried cranberries and nut skins. Tasty layering and development, but always the ghost of TCA. Hot on the aftertaste, with a bit of an acidic burn but a big, dry and bitter espresso finish. Still noticeable tannins around. 87/100.

Quite tricky to evaluate. There is a big piece missing from this wine (TCA?) but it feels like being just a step away from a high degree of respectability. Clearly past its prime, and lacking a certain 'umph' factor, but this had most of the components...just not all. FLAWED? Not Scored.

Color: Middling, but toward the darker end.
Nose: Faint cigar smoke, otherwise pretty muted.
Palate: Dry, a bit harsh, and somewhat hot.
Finish: Long and pleasant, but a bit hot. Tails off dry.

Score: 85 points. Another that could be categorized as "not my style" along with the Cockburn, Sandeman, and Warre.