Michael Schuster: Dense, blackberry and mineral nose; rich, firm, generous, finely tannic; long, even, elegant wine with a beautifully sustained mid-palate, quite fleshy at its core, and a firm linear quality, too, but no coarseness; excellent length, which mirrors the palate’s fruit and minerally aromas. Archetypal rich, muscular Pauillac. 17+

Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: Red-berry nose with spice and cedar flavours; very dense body; classy, tight tannins. Not quite as fresh as the greatest wines from this appellation and, for the time being, slightly coarser in substance than its neighbour, but with all the depth, density and balance of this particular Pauillac vintage. Promises to be every bit as good as, if not better than, the legendary back-to-back vintages of 1989 and 1990. 17/18