Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: Great colour, with a full, very open, liquorice/aniseed nose and dense but delicate texture. Very classy and harmonious, thanks to more moderately extracted tannins than in previous vintages, showing good length and excellent craftsmanship. 16.5

Margaret Rand: A rich texture and concentrated fruit, dark and supple. The finish is juicy and almost floral, but there’s hidden power here, too, and plenty of tannin. 17.5

Michael Schuster: Cedary oak nose over ripe fruit. Elegantly balanced, medium-full wine with a fresh acidity and firm but fine tannin. Plenty of straightforward, ripe, quite fleshy blackcurrant fruit within the sinew; quite good length. More finesse than the d’Armailhac, but still pretty clear Pauillac sinew. 15+