Michael Schuster: Cool, minerally ripe fruit to smell; elegantly balanced, moderately rich middleweight; reserved, complex core of ripe rather than sweet fruit within a firm, sinewy tannin, and with a long, pebbly finish. Still quite severe St-Julien, but less of a blockbuster mentality this year; a more restrained extraction. Very good rather than exceptional? 16.5

Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: Ultra-concentrated, ripe and dense. Nose of spice and graphite, powerful attack, tight tannins and just a touch of bitterness. Awesomely dense and intense with rawer tannins at this stage than its neighbours, no doubt due to the very low yields (barely 20hl/ha). Probably has enough pulpy fruit to soften those mouth-puckering tannins, which are unusually sharp for this estate. Clearly a wine with abundant character. 18