Achaia Clauss – Mavrodaphne Grande Reserve 1979 – PDO Mavrodaphne of Patras

This is something very old. The colour is amber brown with a slightly green rim. Very intense nose, very traditional style. Oxidative ageing, deliberate oxidation, so a lot of age here. We have a lot of dried fruit, I would say really ripe like date, fig, prune. With a lot of spiciness. There are some balsamic notes as well, leather, pine nuts. Palate is quite full, with a high level of sweetness. Yet, it does have a certain maturity so the sweetness has rounded off a little bit. It is not really sticky on the palate. I would rather say nutty. There is a lot of nuttiness in there. Fine spicy notes with leather, wood, tobacco. Obviously, it is complex because we have a fair amount of age here. Long lasting, really keeps lingering. Very traditional style and a fine drink today indeed.

Tasted by the Best Sommelier of the World, Andreas Larsson.