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At Wolfgang’s excellent instigation, we gathered in the Bung Hole to quality-assure a batch of Taylor 1985.

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1985 Taylor:
  • T85 (α alpha);
  • T85 (β beta);
  • T85 (γ gamma);
  • T85 (δ delta);
  • T85 (ε epsilon);
  • T85 (ζ zeta);
• 1994 Tesco;
• Placemats (and parameters by which constructed);
• Planning and arrangements.

T85 (α alpha): decanted 1pm, cork extracted easily. At 7pm heat, with white-pepper spice. Later in the evening the heat softened, and I liked this more.

One of 6 bottles from the same case of Taylor 1985 consumed at the same tasting to investigate how much bottle variation could be found in bottles that had good and identical provenance. The bottles were of very similar appearance in the glass, looking to be brick red and in the early stages of maturity and 60% opaque, with only Bottle 2 being slightly more brown than the others.

Bottle 1: Soft and sweet strawberry on the nose, but dosed with a refreshing mintiness. A touhc of stink when swirled. Neutral entry with sweet fruit following. Powerful chocolate and roasted coffee tannins dominate the mid-palate, balanced by a good dose fo strawberry acidity. On the whole this has a lovely texture and some nice fragrance on the palate. Powerful finish, intense without being big and very, very long. Still youthful and with another 10-20 years at its peak. 87/100.