Simon Field: A soft terracotta fade, the color less assertive than some from this vintage; the concentration is good but less demonstrative than many of its peers in this ripe, confident, seminal year. No matter: a poised and well-integrated wine; black cherry, blueberries, and distant winter bonfires on the horizon. | 91

Andrew Jefford: Deep black-red, though not opaque at its core. The aromas are attractively wild and savory-smoky, with lots of hillside plant and herb appeal, though we seem to have come quite a long way from the primary fruits with which this wine presumably began life. The palate is exuberant, generous, ample, firm, and deep, with something of the savory-smoky style of the aromatic profile and plenty of the Douro (the herb, the bitter oranges, the lavender) engraved into its fruits. An exciting mouthful, if not the most “classical” wine on the table. Bitter orange powers into the finish. | 91

Richard Mayson: Deep opaque color, purple rim; tight-knit, still showing a little spirit, rich and fleshy, with firm, bittersweet structured tannins, quite dry in style on the finish and a little overbalanced. | 85