1966 Montrose

Tasted at the Montrose vertical in Stamford, the 1966 Montrose is a wine that I drank and raved about in the 1990s, though in tandem with the 1970 it seemed to reach the end of its drinking plateau and recent bottles were inferior. Here, there are vestiges of dark berry fruit on the nose, which is now dominated by tobacco and undergrowth. It now feels foursquare and correct. Those same adjectives can be applied to the palate that has a distinct tertiary persona, slightly dry tannin and showing some attenuation towards the finish. I suspect that large formats might replicate some of the joy I found in the 1966 a few years ago, but regular bottles should be consumed sooner rather than later. Tasted May 2016.