Simon Field: Impressive bloodshot colour, then a nose that fails to seduce - petulant and a little dusty. On the palate, conspicuously short, despite a fiery concentration in the mid-palate; perhaps a hint of corkiness. Falling from grace, in this instance. Perhaps a poor example, because there seems to be a lovely wine in there somewhere! 15.5

Andrew Jefford: The darkest wine of the flight so far: still lots of red holding the brick road at bay. Aromatically I suspect that this is not a great bottle, but it's the only one we've got and it’s not grossly TCA-infected, just slightly flattened and inhibited. Prodding and pushing, one can find darker fruits (plums) and fresher spice (cinnamon) than in many of its peers, plus some of the classic tea-leaf scents of early maturity. Deeper fruits and a richer tannin structure than most of its peers, though once again held in check by some cork flattening. Rich fruit structure fills the mouth with perfumes and some of the fire of the original vintage. 17

Richard Mayson: Very deep ruby-garnet centre, purple-pink rim. Very sullen on the nose, with a hint of cask (cork?). Rich, powerful, ripe fruit and tannins, but with something musky lurking behind. Explosive finish. Enjoyable now but will be better in 5-10 years. The muskiness returns on the finish. Almost certainly TCA! 16