The vintages of the sixties and seventies (I have tasted almost every top vintage of Kirwan) were mediocre. The only ancient vintage with which I have experience is the 1865, which I rated 86 points in December, 1995. It exhibited a "youthful" orange-tinged, dark garnet color. Sweet cedar combined with smoky, earthy notes were impressive. The wine possessed remarkably ripe fruit, and surprising density, but harsh tannin in the finish. It was somewhat monolithic, but given its age and what appeared to be an authentic bottle, its condition was remarkable.