Pretty notes of powdered cocoa over black plum on the nose then lead to a spice box with nutmeg and cinnamon hinting at mole sauce, and some saddle leather and dusty earth in the 2023 BLOCK FIVE. A little more darker toned than some vintages, it is still boisterous on the palate with sweet dark cherries that fan out and reveal anise, and notes of coffee and cigar in a long finish that is persistent and youthful.

Starting out with deep dark tones rising from the glass, the 2023 PRADO has bright floral high tone black currant and mulberry fruit, violets, sandalwood and graphite with a tinge of iron red earth. Juicy black cherry compote turns to blackberry on the palate, with the wine showing power wrapped in elegance, and a seamless long finish that glides on unfurling layers of complexity over a pleasant acid backbone.