1985 Martinez

[winesecretary]

Reddish juice with mahogany rim; 50% opaque. Hint of varnish on tasting sample. With swirling, nose of dried fig and Provencal herbs, with a hint of bassetti after a while. On the palate, dried fruit flavours, prunes and unsulphured apricots, slightly but not unpleasantly confected. Rich in glycerin- like a cough mixture, but of a high class. More mint in the herbaceous mixture on the finish. No tannins left to speak of. Very drinkable. Fully mature, and perhaps at the end of its plateau- so drink by 2025. Tasted 26/02/20.

[winesecretary]

Most of the bottle having been preserved in a half-litre bottle in the fridge for the past week (I know! The restraint!) the same tasters are revisiting it this evening. Darkened a little. Still dried fig, but less herbaceous on the nose. On the mid- palate, figs appear early, mid-palate more poached imported plum (those big round ones; quite different to victorias and the like) but the prunes still there later. Big hit of licorice on the finish. Less glycerin. Very pleasurable, very harmonious. Re-tasted 03/03/20.