Alison Buchanan: Black-plum garnet to a tawny rim. This is bizarre, presenting a rare combination of PX, chocolate and treacle toffee on the nose. The palate, in contrast, offers a pretty insurmountable wall of cocoa-dry tannins and none of the sweetness suggested by the nose. Challenging at this stage, since the fruit is totally subdued by the structure. 13.5

Jancis Robinson: Red/garnet. Delicate, subtle, but with a hint of richness. Good balance; fruit is prominent, clean, some crisp tannins (but not overpowering), but dries out at the end. 16

Jeremy Watson: If the 1995 Marqués de Vitoria Tinto Gran Reserva and this wine reflect 1995 gran reservas, then they are very disappointing, even for a lesser vintage. Perfectly good and drinkable, but hardly good value for money. 14