Alison Buchanan: Black-cherry velvet, this is very richly textured, clinging languorously to the glass. The nose is sedate and earthy, just hinting at spiced black fruit. Neither the nose nor the palate was wholly clean on this sample – a bit dusty. The palate is a body builder on steroids, hugely muscular with bitter tannins all but obscuring any fruit. If enormity is the aim here, full marks – but it lacks balance. 16.5

Jancis Robinson: Dark purple. Bright, sweet, subtle fruit, perfumed. Rather hard but very nicely balanced; crisp, lipsmacking tannins, very dominant on the length but with the promise of maturity to come. Difficult now but has great potential. 17

Jeremy Watson: Very dark wine, with powerful cherry aromas and flavours driven by the high extract. Structure a little unbalanced, though. 16