Michael Edwards: Youthful, purplish ruby; sweet, ripe aromas of hedgerow fruits, blackberry, and even from the mulberry tree, most attractively scented. Fine mouthfeel, generous, gras, but also racy, with some tension. Class and style-17.5

Andrew Jefford: Dense, saturated black-red. Sweet, warm, comforting: a thick aromatic blanket of black-cherry fruit. There’s a little qualifying cade and pine behind that fruit, to make a balanced and intriguing aromatic profile. There’s a discreet animal note, too. Soft, full, ample, with lots of dark fruit, though the tone of this is a little less buxomly sweet than the aromas suggested. Moderate levels of concentration, with an attractive burned-raisin edge of austerity to lift the palate overall. The tannins are quite dry and not wholly bonded to the fruit. This is nonetheless an immensely satisfying wine packed with Languedoc character, from one of the warmer and more generous sites. There is a stoniness in the finish-16

Marcel Orford-Williams: Full flavor. Satisfying enough but pinched on the finish. Drink now 14