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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 (γ gamma): as the cork of bottle β had been sticky, Wolfgang pushed this cork, after which it extracted easily. At D+0 we both thought that it might be corked. Certainly different to α and β, as having less fruit. At 7pm showing Taylor grittiness, with Chablis-style metal. But the fruit and sweetness satisfactory. WPS and AHB were certain that this was corked.

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 3: Slight mustiness to the nose, rather flat - perhaps very mild TCA? Swirled in the glass this releases an unattractive petrolly nose that is definitely TCA tainted. The taint continues on to the palate. Interestingly, this was not a different colour from the other glasses. The TCA smell could be strongly detected on the end of the cork that had been under the capsule. NR.