Stephen Brook: Very deep red, almost opaque. Muted nose, plums, black cherries, fruitcake. Soft and rounded but has some richness and concentration, and a hint of over-extraction. Has some freshness and verve and a nice touch of oak. Still, not the usual vigor and intensity one expects from here. Rather dogged. But quite good length. 16

Stephen Browett: Medium-deep color. A fragrant, ripe, spicy, roasted nose with a hint of raisins. Good density but not over-extracted. Sweet but has good freshness for the vintage. Well balanced and cleverly put together.16

Michael Schuster: Very dark red; sweetly ripe fruit and clear new wood to smell; medium-full wine, firmly tannic, and lacking a bit of fresh acidity; very ripe, slightly raisiny fruit to taste, but slack and rather flat because of the very low acidity; moderately complex, but finishes dry and pinched from the new wood, which is unlikely to be absorbed. Not bad wine, but a rather “tough” prospect, where you have to like the astringency. 14.5