Simon Field: Light colour, slightly dilute and insipid. A not-unattractive nose, simple toffee, toffee apple and damson. The palate is lacklustre, with a slightly burnt, almost rubbery feel to it. Atypical, thankfully. 11

Andrew Jefford: Quite pale, still preponderantly red, but no purple hues or opacity. Soft, cereal fragrances: no focus, depth or refinement, though. Light, sweet, tangy. Hmmm. Pretty unimpressive, I have to say. Really not much here to get one's teeth into. 9

Richard Mayson: Again a mid-deep-garnet centre, withatouch of brown on the rim. Very little given away on the nose, with underlying ripe fruit. Quite fleshy on the mid-palate, with characteristically 1983 tight, firm, austere tannins rising in the mouth. A classic 1983 in style, with cast-iron tannins lingering on the finish. Drink now to 2025 plus. 16