Nicolas Belfrage: Vanilla character on nose. Intern ation al palate. Okay, but I wouldn't drink it. 12

Stephen Brook: Deep red. Smoky nose of tobacco and leather, quite evolved for a ’99. Medium-bodied but fleshy. A bit slack, and not that concentrated. Evolved, indeed rather tired, with a glum, tannic finish. Medium length. 13

Alison Buchanan: Black-shot garnet with tawny notes on the rim. Darkly coloured, intense but not opaque. A very varnish -dominated nose, and very volatile. The palate has an odd combination of modern look and feel versus old-fashioned volatile characteristics. A bit thin and lean, and then some oak richness cuts through. All rather out of sync, really. 10