Cleopatra's bath time

The nose was garden flowers sniffed through a freshly puttied window frame, waxy lemon sweets and Vin Santo served with biscotti. The palate was definitely quite exotic – melon skins, lemon and ground almond frangipani, sherbet straws and orange oil – one panellist kept muttering about Cleopatra, freshly bathed in rose petals and milk! The reduced nose delighted us with honey, dark chocolate-coated marzipan, toffee bonbons, aromatherapy oils – including mint and rosemary – and a Funchal flower market next-door to Blandy’s. The reduced palate was silky smooth – chocolate Swiss roll, raspberry, coconut and vanilla, with a finish hinting at oak, tobacco and grapefruit peel.