Simon Field: Inky colour, and a fulsome nose redolent of prunes and fore floors. On the palate, the wine is gloriously sweet, rich, ripe and articulate. Ripeness is all... but never so much as to negate structural harmony and the promise of future glory. A wine that seduces the front of the palate more than the back but is nonetheless resonant and bright. 18

Andrew Jefford: Just off-opaque, but lots of black mixed in with the purple and red. A sense of meaty warmth and pencilly drive here, very pure and harmonious, with the extractive aromatic qualities perfectly mingled with the sweet, dark, brambly fruits. A massive level of extraction here, almost to a violent extent - is this the result of robotic treading? With this wine, I wonder if the fruit levels are quite up there with the depth and power of the tannins, but this is undeniably impressive. Just a sense of middle-palate creaminess is missing for me. 16.5

Richard Mayson: A very good deep colour, withathin crimson rim. A rather angular nose, a bit green. The fruit is slightly green and underripe on the palate. Firm, dry tannins. Quite lean and punishing now but should evolve well. 15.5