Simon Field: Onyx dark, savory aromatics to the fore, black forest gâteau, only a small piece, offered behind the scenes, then figs and forest floor, lavender and a hint of thyme, even... A very powerful palate, the assertive voice of a boisterous teenager, his or her latent talent unwittingly hidden under stentorian self-promotion; weighed up and held in the balance, there is definitive harmony, an impressive integrity, and a sense of an ending. | 90

Andrew Jefford: Deep, dark black-red, though no longer opaque. Powerfully aromatic, with lots of beguiling sweet tobacco and fine leather, as well as dried hillside herbs over a now-subdued layer of black fruits. I love the secondary complexities and grandeur here. Just a hint of menthol and camphor on the finish. A super nose, though the lack of prominence of primary fruits here, I guess, would lead one to say that it is well advanced in its evolution. On the palate, this is a sweet, rich, generous Port that still has firm tannins but, in other respects, quite an open-pored texture; the aromatic complexities that the nose sketched out are still evident here. Lots to enjoy and with some evolution ahead, too. Super stuff. | 92

Richard Mayson: Deep center, thin purple rim, still youthful in hue; quite tight-knit, with more to give on the nose. Well-defined berry fruit; firm, with a modicum of flesh surrounding a cast-iron tannic backbone, still youthful but there is a lot here yet to emerge, with a long, powerful, linear finish. Lovely definition. 2023–50+. | 93