We tasted a few Chateau Montroses as a sort of postscript to the dinner a couple of months ago. We drank three wines we did not have then: a rather good 93, an excellent 91 and a rather edgy 78 - the latter would probably have seemed OK drunk on its own but looked a bit weak among the other vintages.

Our 89 in November had been corked but this one was fine - concentrated, serious, needing time. I think I join those preferring it to the rather exotic 90. Similarly our 88 had been oxidised but the replacement tonight was very classic, medium-weight with notes of the sea. Really lovely drinking. We also had another bootle of the Ellis UK-bottled 64. This one had none of the awkward air of living dangerously that the earlier one had. Very, very good.

The Montroses had a hard time following a glass of G. Conterno's 1998 Monfortino - an absolute monument but completely lovely to drink now.

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