Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: Another uniquely exciting wine from this master craftsman. Colour is neither as intense nor as immature as it might be, but the spicy, vanilla, soon-to-be-overripe plum nose has distinct cachet. There is an apparent contradiction on the palate, a verging-on-the-decadent grapey texture set against a splendid mintiness, wrapped around a core of expressive tannins. This teasing ambiguity is the very essence of the wine and is sure to make it a winner with discerning and uncompromising connoisseurs. Sumptuous length. 18

Michael Schuster: Crisply ripe cherry fruit with a mineral background and faint oak to smell. A quite lovely natural balance to this – medium-full, fresh, long, flowing, complex and lightly tannic. A ripe, pure, intense yet transparent wine without any excess and beautifully perfumed on the finish. Very fine St-Emilion, made with a wonderfully light touch. 17