1966 Wine and Port Vintage
Vintage Summary and Recommendations: Welcome to Vintage Wine and Port’s 1966 wine page. Read on for our summary of the vintage, our top recommendations and region reports, or scroll down to explore all available wines.
The 1966 vintage is widely regarded as one of the standout years of the twentieth century, delivering exceptional quality across several key regions. In Bordeaux, the vintage produced structured and long-lived wines that have now developed into beautifully mature clarets with depth and complexity. In Italy, the best wines from regions such as Piedmont show classic, evolved character, while in Portugal the year is considered outstanding for Port, with most major houses declaring the vintage.
In key regions such as Portugal and Bordeaux, well-stored wines from 1966 are now at a superb stage of maturity. Vintage Ports from this year are particularly sought after, offering richness, balance and remarkable longevity, making them an outstanding choice for a 60th anniversary or birthday gift.
Scroll down to explore our full selection. If you would like personal advice, please call us on 01425 837177 or contact us.
Top Recommendation: Kopke 1966 Colheita Port
A superbly aged single harvest tawny Port from one of the oldest Port houses, offering exceptional depth, balance and complexity. Fully matured in cask and bottled ready to enjoy, this is a standout choice for a 60th anniversary gift.
Best Value: Rivesaltes 1966
A wonderfully mature fortified wine offering excellent value for a 60-year-old vintage. Long ageing has created rich notes of dried fruits, caramel and spice, making it a delicious and accessible alternative to Port.
Vintage Port Choice: Messias Cachão 1966 Vintage Port
A rare and prestigious Vintage Port from Messias’ flagship Cachão vineyard, offering impressive concentration, structure and depth. Now fully mature, it delivers complex flavours of dark fruit, spice and cedar, making it a superb choice for collectors and special occasions.
Classic Italian Choice: Barbaresco Giordano 1966
A mature Barbaresco showing classic Nebbiolo character, with developed notes of dried cherry, leather, herbs and earthy spice. Now fully evolved, it offers elegance, savoury complexity and a beautifully refined drinking experience at over 50 years of age.
Fine & Rare Selection: Château d’Yquem 1966 Sauternes
A legendary sweet wine from one of Bordeaux’s most iconic estates, offering extraordinary complexity, honeyed richness and remarkable longevity.
This Year in History: Fun Fact: The Beatles play their last conventional live concert in Britain, at the Empire Pool (Wembley) on the bill alongside The Rolling Stones and The Who.
Eurovision Winner: Austria with the song "Merci Cherie" by Udo Jurgens
Top Grossing Movie: The Bible
France: 1966 was a very good vintage in Bordeaux, producing structured wines that have matured into elegant and long-lived examples.
Read full Bordeaux vintage report
The 1966 vintage in Bordeaux was initially characterised by firm tannins and relatively high acidity, giving the wines a structured and somewhat austere profile in their youth. Over time, however, these elements have softened and integrated, allowing the wines to evolve into more approachable and harmonious expressions.
Today, many 1966 Bordeaux wines display classic mature characteristics, including notes of cedar, tobacco, leather and gentle dark fruit, with softened tannins and balanced acidity. The vintage is particularly noted for its longevity, with well-stored examples continuing to offer a refined and enjoyable drinking experience.
The best wines from leading châteaux — such as Latour and Palmer — remain in excellent condition and are still drinking at or near their peak, with the structure to continue evolving for years to come. Other well-kept Bordeaux from the vintage can also provide very good drinking, offering a traditional and elegant style of mature claret.
In Sauternes, 1966 also produced some excellent wines, with favourable conditions allowing for good ripeness and concentration. At full maturity, these wines show rich, honeyed notes alongside dried apricot, marmalade and spice, balanced by freshness that keeps them lively and complex even after many decades.
Overall, 1966 is regarded as a reliable and rewarding Bordeaux vintage, where quality and provenance remain key to selecting bottles that are drinking well today.
Italian: 1966 was a good vintage for Italy, particularly in regions such as Piedmont and Tuscany, where the best wines have matured into elegant and characterful examples.
Read full Italy vintage report
The 1966 vintage in Italy produced some very successful wines, especially in northern and central regions. In Piedmont, conditions were favourable for Nebbiolo, resulting in structured wines with the balance and acidity needed for long-term ageing. These wines have now evolved into classic mature examples, showing developed notes of dried cherry, leather, tar and earthy spice, with softened tannins and a refined, savoury profile.
In Tuscany, the vintage also performed well, with traditional Sangiovese-based wines developing into elegant and fully mature styles. While not as powerful as the greatest vintages, the best examples offer charm and balance, with flavours of dried red fruits, herbs and subtle spice.
At over 50 years of age, the finest Italian wines from 1966 are best appreciated for their tertiary complexity and finesse rather than fruit intensity. Wines such as Barolo and Brunello from respected producers can still be drinking well today, offering a distinctive and rewarding experience for those who enjoy fully mature wines.
Overall, 1966 is considered a reliable and enjoyable Italian vintage, where careful selection and good provenance are key to finding bottles that continue to show well.
Portugal: 1966 is widely regarded as one of the finest post-war vintages in Portugal, producing exceptional Vintage Ports of great longevity and balance.
Read full Portugal vintage report
The 1966 vintage in Portugal is considered outstanding, with most of the major Port houses declaring the year. Although it was long overshadowed by the legendary 1963 vintage, it is now widely recognised as one of the very best post-war years for Vintage Port.
The wines from 1966 are characterised by their structure, balance and remarkable longevity. In their youth they showed firm tannins and concentration, but with extended ageing they have developed into beautifully integrated and complex wines. Today, the best examples display rich flavours of dark fruits, spice, chocolate and dried fig, alongside refined notes of leather and cedar.
One of the defining features of the 1966 vintage is its ability to age gracefully over many decades. Well-stored bottles remain in excellent condition and continue to offer depth, balance and freshness, with many expected to outlast their 1963 counterparts and evolve further in the years ahead.
Overall, 1966 stands as a benchmark Vintage Port year, producing wines of exceptional quality that make an outstanding and meaningful choice for a 60th anniversary or birthday gift.
58 products found.
Barbaresco, 1966
Giordano
This mature Barbaresco shows a brick-garnet hue with orange highlights. The nose is elegant, revealing dried red fruits, rose petal, spice, and subtle earthy notes. Silky and balanced on the palate, it delivers softened tannins, hints of candied orange peel, and a touch of truffle, finishing long with spice, cedar, and gentle leather.
Decanting: Stand upright for 24 hours, decant carefully, and allow 1–2 hours of breathing. Serve at 16–18°C to showcase its refined aromas and structure.
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Price: £169.00
Stock: 6 in Stock
Barbaresco, 1966
Riccardo Ceretto
Barbaresco DOC 1966 Riccardo Ceretto is a historic red wine from Piedmont, Italy, produced by the traditional winery Riccardo Ceretto. This bottling represents a classic mid-1960s Barbaresco, made from Nebbiolo and crafted for long-term aging and slow evolution in bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Brick-garnet color with amber and orange reflections. Aromas of dried rose petals, cherry liqueur, leather, tobacco, tar, and forest floor, with subtle earthy and spice nuances.
Medium-bodied palate with softened tannins, balanced acidity, and layered tertiary complexity. Long, refined finish with notes of dried herbs, smoke, and aged fruit. …
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Price: £149.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Barolo, 1966
Fontanafredda
This mature Barolo shows a deep garnet core with warm amber highlights, reflecting over fifty years of careful ageing. The nose is elegant and complex, offering dried red cherries, rose petal, gentle spice, leather, and subtle earthy notes of forest floor and tobacco. On the palate, it is silky and balanced, with softened yet structured tannins supporting flavours of candied cherry, orange zest, hints of truffle, and cedar. The finish is long, layered, and refined, highlighting the wine’s depth, finesse, and classic Nebbiolo character.
Decanting: Stand the bottle upright for 24 hours to settle sediment. …
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Price: £169.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Beaujolais, 1966
Chateau Varennes - RARE BIG BOTTLE of 5 Liters
Beaujolais is an important wine region of eastern France, famous for its vibrant, fruity red wines made from Gamay. It is located immediately south of Burgundy, of which it is sometimes considered to be a part, despite being within the Rhone administrative region. ** Please note that this wine is part of a clearance offer and therefore is excluded from our guarantee**
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Price: £395.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Chateau d'Yquem, 1966
Sauternes 1er Grand cru Classe
Experience the timeless allure of the 1966 Château d’Yquem, a legendary Sauternes that stands as a testament to patience, craftsmanship, and the magic of noble rot. Nearly six decades in the making, this extraordinary vintage has developed a deep amber hue and a mesmerizing bouquet of honeyed apricot, candied orange peel, and delicate caramel. Every sip is a journey through time, revealing layers of complexity and grace that only the world’s most celebrated sweet wine can offer.
The 1966 vintage is a rare treasure from Yquem’s illustrious history, representing an era when meticulous vineyard work and strict selection yielded wines of remarkable longevity. …
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Price: £595.00
Stock: 14 in Stock
Chateau Montrose, 1966
St Estephe 2eme Cru Classe
Reviews: "The 1966 is still dark ruby with a peppery, very spice, yet tight, relatively closed bouquet. The wine is austere and tough on the palate, with good fruit and firm, rough tannins. Comparatively, it is not as massive or as rich as the 1970, 1964, or 1961, but is still backward and austere" PArker Wine Advocate 1996
About Chateau Montrose Château Montrose, an illustrious wine estate located in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of Bordeaux, France, is renowned for its exceptional wines and storied history. Classified as a Second Growth in the prestigious Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Château Montrose has long been celebrated for its commitment to quality and tradition. …
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Price: £395.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 1966
Pauillac 1st Growth Classification
Half Bottle 37.5cl
mid/Low shoulder. Label bin soiled.
1966 Château Mouton Rothschild (Half Bottle)
A Rare and Gracefully Mature First Growth Bordeaux
The 1966 Château Mouton Rothschild is a wonderfully mature Pauillac from a vintage renowned for producing classically structured and long-lived Bordeaux wines. While initially overshadowed by richer surrounding vintages, 1966 has earned increasing appreciation over time for its balance, freshness, and traditional character. In half bottle format, the wine has evolved more rapidly, offering an immediately expressive and fully mature drinking experience.
Now approaching six decades of age, the wine displays an elegant and deeply tertiary aromatic profile, …
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Price: £195.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 1966
Pauillac 1st Growth Classification
Half Bottle 37.5cl
Upper shoulder. Label bin soiled.
1966 Château Mouton Rothschild (Half Bottle)
A Rare and Gracefully Mature First Growth Bordeaux
The 1966 Château Mouton Rothschild is a wonderfully mature Pauillac from a vintage renowned for producing classically structured and long-lived Bordeaux wines. While initially overshadowed by richer surrounding vintages, 1966 has earned increasing appreciation over time for its balance, freshness, and traditional character. In half bottle format, the wine has evolved more rapidly, offering an immediately expressive and fully mature drinking experience.
Now approaching six decades of age, the wine displays an elegant and deeply tertiary aromatic profile, …
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Price: £295.00
Stock: 19 in Stock
Chateau Rausan-Segla, 1966
Margaux 2nd Growth Classification
The 1966 Château Rauzan-Ségla from Margaux is a distinguished vintage from this historic Second Growth estate, offering a glimpse into Bordeaux's traditional winemaking style. Coming from a structured vintage, it reflects both the strength of the terroir and the classic character of mid-20th century Left Bank wines.
In the glass, the 1966 Rauzan-Ségla typically shows a mature garnet core with a fading brick rim, indicating its age. Aromas are often layered and nuanced—dried red berries, cigar box, forest floor, cedar, and subtle floral hints are all possible. On the palate, the wine is refined and soft, with the tannins fully resolved and the acidity lending freshness to a smooth, delicate finish. …
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Price: £185.00
Stock: 6 in Stock
Chianti, 1966
Torraccia Montespertoli Edison
The 1966 Chianti DOC Torraccia Montespertoli Edison is a rare and historically interesting bottle that reflects the traditional character of Chianti from the mid‑20th century. Having aged for many decades, this wine now offers a fully evolved expression of Sangiovese and other traditional Tuscan varieties.
Tasting Notes:
This mature 1966 vintage shows the classic tertiary development expected from an aged Chianti. On the nose, expect aromas of dried red cherry, leather, tobacco, earthy underbrush, dried herbs, and hints of balsamic and forest floor nuances. With gentle air exposure, more complex notes of cedar, dried flowers, and spice can emerge. …
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Price: £99.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port VWP provided label | Embossed Capsule
The 1966 Fonseca Vintage Port is widely celebrated as one of the finest examples of classic Port from the 20th century. Produced in a declared vintage year, this wine exemplifies Fonseca's signature style—rich, powerful, and built for longevity. Even after nearly six decades, it continues to impress connoisseurs and collectors with its complexity and vitality.
In the glass, the 1966 Fonseca typically displays a deep ruby hue with subtle garnet reflections, indicating its maturity. The nose is intensely aromatic, offering a bouquet of black cherries, plums, violets, and hints of bitter chocolate and tobacco. …
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Price: £365.00
Stock: 8 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port Plain label | Embossed Capsule
The 1966 Fonseca Vintage Port is widely celebrated as one of the finest examples of classic Port from the 20th century. Produced in a declared vintage year, this wine exemplifies Fonseca's signature style—rich, powerful, and built for longevity. Even after nearly six decades, it continues to impress connoisseurs and collectors with its complexity and vitality.
In the glass, the 1966 Fonseca typically displays a deep ruby hue with subtle garnet reflections, indicating its maturity. The nose is intensely aromatic, offering a bouquet of black cherries, plums, violets, and hints of bitter chocolate and tobacco. …
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Price: £365.00
Stock: 5 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port Plain label | Embossed Capsule
The 1966 Fonseca Vintage Port is widely celebrated as one of the finest examples of classic Port from the 20th century. Produced in a declared vintage year, this wine exemplifies Fonseca's signature style—rich, powerful, and built for longevity. Even after nearly six decades, it continues to impress connoisseurs and collectors with its complexity and vitality.
In the glass, the 1966 Fonseca typically displays a deep ruby hue with subtle garnet reflections, indicating its maturity. The nose is intensely aromatic, offering a bouquet of black cherries, plums, violets, and hints of bitter chocolate and tobacco. …
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Price: £345.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Gaja, 1966
Barbaresco
This mature Gaja displays a deep garnet-red core with warm amber highlights, reflecting over fifty years of careful ageing. On the nose, it reveals aromas of dried red cherries, rose petal, gentle spice, leather, and subtle earthy notes of forest floor and tobacco. The palate is elegant and balanced, with softened yet structured tannins supporting flavours of candied cherry, orange zest, hints of truffle, and cedar. The finish is long, layered, and harmonious, showcasing the wine’s depth, finesse, and classic Nebbiolo character.
Decanting: Stand the bottle upright for 2–3 days prior to opening to allow any sediment to settle. …
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Price: £395.00
Stock: 4 in Stock
Gattinara, 1966
Conti Ermanno Maggiora
The Gattinara 1966 Conti Ermano Maggiora is a rare and historic Nebbiolo-based wine from northern Piedmont, produced in the Gattinara appellation. After decades of bottle ageing, this vintage represents a mature and highly evolved expression of one of Piedmont’s most traditional and long-lived wine styles.
Tasting Notes:
The 1966 vintage is deeply mature and complex, showing the classic evolution of aged Nebbiolo. The bouquet opens with aromas of dried rose petals, cherry liqueur, leather, tobacco, earthy forest floor, dried herbs, and truffle-like notes. With time in the glass, subtle balsamic and spicy undertones may appear. …
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Price: £129.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Graham's, 1966
Vintage Port
Christopher and Co bottling
Excellent Provenance
The Graham's 1966 Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from a year celebrated for its exceptional quality. Declared by most major Port houses, the 1966 vintage has produced wines known for their richness, concentration, and longevity. Graham's 1966 Vintage Port exemplifies these traits, offering a complex and rewarding experience for enthusiasts and collectors alike.
In the glass, this Port presents a mature tawny hue with a garnet rim, indicative of its age. The nose is rich and complex, featuring aromas of ripe plums, chocolate, and sweet red fruits. On the palate, it delivers a harmonious blend of sweet plum flavors, a fleshy mouthfeel, and a lingering finish with notes of fig and coffee. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: 4 in Stock
Graham's, 1966
Vintage Port
Christopher and Co bottling
Excellent Provenance
The Graham's 1966 Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from a year celebrated for its exceptional quality. Declared by most major Port houses, the 1966 vintage has produced wines known for their richness, concentration, and longevity. Graham's 1966 Vintage Port exemplifies these traits, offering a complex and rewarding experience for enthusiasts and collectors alike.
In the glass, this Port presents a mature tawny hue with a garnet rim, indicative of its age. The nose is rich and complex, featuring aromas of ripe plums, chocolate, and sweet red fruits. On the palate, it delivers a harmonious blend of sweet plum flavors, a fleshy mouthfeel, and a lingering finish with notes of fig and coffee. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: 3 in Stock
Graham's, 1966
Vintage Port
Plain Label
The Graham's 1966 Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from a year celebrated for its exceptional quality. Declared by most major Port houses, the 1966 vintage has produced wines known for their richness, concentration, and longevity. Graham's 1966 Vintage Port exemplifies these traits, offering a complex and rewarding experience for enthusiasts and collectors alike.
In the glass, this Port presents a mature tawny hue with a garnet rim, indicative of its age. The nose is rich and complex, featuring aromas of ripe plums, chocolate, and sweet red fruits. On the palate, it delivers a harmonious blend of sweet plum flavors, a fleshy mouthfeel, and a lingering finish with notes of fig and coffee. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Grappa, 1966
Vecio Friul - Riserva Ducale
75cl - 44° alc.
Aged in prestigious Oak barrels.
Distilled from pomace – the leftover grape skins, seeds, stalks and pulp from the wine press – grappa was invented by frugal Italian wine producers keen to extract the last drop of value from their grapes.
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Price: £189.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Leacock, 1966
Bual
John Leacock sailed to Madeira from the United Kingdom (after the death of his father) in 1741 and at the age of 15 became the youngest apprentice at the firm of Madeira merchants, Catanach and Murdoch staying until his contract expired on 11 March 1749. During his apprenticeship he had been in constant contact with an old school friend, John Patient, residing at that time in Charles Town, South Carolina who suggested that they themselves should commence trading. Leacock agreed and this marks the birth of the now world famous company. Bottled in 1994 after 28 years in cask, this totally unique vintage Madeira is sweet, though markedly less so than Malmsey Madeira. …
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Price: £349.00
Stock: 5 in Stock
Nebbiolo, 1966
Castello Negrotto Giustiniani
This historic Nebbiolo hails from the prestigious Castello Negrotto Giustiniani estate, renowned for producing structured and age-worthy Piedmontese wines. It displays a deep garnet core with warm amber highlights, reflecting over fifty years of careful maturation. On the nose, it reveals refined aromas of dried red cherries, rose petal, gentle spice, leather, and subtle earthy notes of forest floor and tobacco. The palate is elegant and balanced, with softened yet structured tannins carrying flavours of candied cherry, orange zest, hints of truffle, and cedar. The finish is long, layered, and harmonious, showcasing the wine’s depth, finesse, and classic Nebbiolo character. …
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Price: £129.00
Stock: 4 in Stock
Nobile di Montepulciano, 1966
Baiocchi
Nobile di Montepulciano DOC 1966 Baiocchi is a historic red wine from Tuscany, Italy, produced by the traditional estate Baiocchi. This bottling represents a classic mid-1960s Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, crafted primarily from Sangiovese (locally called Prugnolo Gentile) using traditional vinification methods for long-term aging and development of complex tertiary aromas.
Tasting Notes:
Garnet-brick color with amber reflections. Aromas of dried cherry, plum, rose petals, leather, tobacco, and subtle earthy spice.
Medium- to full-bodied palate with softened tannins, balanced acidity, and refined tertiary complexity. …
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Price: £99.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
Recioto, 1966
Biscardo, Spumante, Sweet Sparkling Red Wine
"Recioto," as in "Recioto della Valpolicella," refers to a dessert wine made from grapes that were dried on mats after picking. This process turns the grapes closer to raisins, concentrating the flavours. The wines are lovely and taste how you'd expect raisins-turned-wine to taste, rich and sweet.
Stand the bottle upright for 2–3 days prior to opening to allow any sediment to settle. Decant slowly and carefully through a fine strainer, allowing 1–2 hours of gentle aeration before serving at 16–18°C. A fragile cork is very common with older bottles, where the wine has been in prolonged contact with the cork over many decades. …
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Price: £149.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Riesling, 1966
Schloss Schoenborn
Riesling Rheingau 1966 Schloss Schönborn is a white wine from the Rheingau region, Germany, produced by Schloss Schönborn, a historic estate known for crafting elegant and age-worthy Rieslings. The 1966 vintage exemplifies the classic Rheingau style: balanced, aromatic, and expressive, with decades of development that reveal remarkable complexity and finesse.
Tasting Notes:
The wine shows a deep golden color with amber highlights, indicative of its age and evolution. The bouquet is refined and layered, offering aromas of dried apricot, honeyed peach, and citrus peel, complemented by tertiary notes of petrol, wet stone, and subtle floral hints. …
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Price: £89.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Taylor Fladgate, 1966
Vintage Port
The 1966 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from an exceptional vintage. This port exhibits an intense ruby colour and an elegant, fresh nose with floral notes reminiscent of violets. On the palate, it offers a harmonious balance of intense fruit flavours, notably figs, supported by a well-structured mineral and tannic framework. The wine maintains a refreshing quality, with flavours that persist through a long finish. Notably, it still possesses the potential for further aging, indicating years of great life ahead.
Critics have praised this vintage for its elegance and complexity. …
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Price: £369.00
Stock: 1 in Stock