A Possible Legend CandidateThe 1964, 1955, and 1953 are all outstanding low to mid-90 point wines.

Tasted from magnum at the Montrose vertical in London, the 1955 Montrose is a legendary vintage for the estate. Certainly my solitary encounter several years ago was off the charts, a view since vindicated by others lucky enough to have encountered it. Certainly here, the 1955 had an amazing, deep, almost refulgent color with a thin tawny rim. The bouquet was very intense with dark berry fruit, bergamot, Earl Grey and even dried honey, unusually opulent for this normally quite foursquare vintage. The palate is swarthy and structured with great depth and balance. One or two commented upon the volatility of this wine and true, this upended the finish, blurring the edges. It is one of those occasions where a perfect bottle would clearly be close to perfection, whereas this magnum pointed you to it rather than gave you a first-hand experience. Therefore, my plus sign against my score indicates that a perfect specimen could be one of the best wines that you will ever taste. Tasted June 2016.