Michael Schuster: Dense and ripe black fruit and minerals to smell, a sense of “matter,” but without heaviness; rich, dense, fleshy wine well defined by its acidity and its fine, firm tannin; a lovely black-cherry core flavor, alongside the mineral aromas, intense, mouth-coating, very subtle, very long, very aromatic; all so well contained and defined by the wine’s finely integrated acidity and its beautifully textured tannins, and with great length of aroma on the finish. An effortless long-term wine; a great, elegant, aristocratic Palmer; subtle, complete, quiet but authoritative. 2030–45+. 93–95

Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: The unintentional reduction of yields (29hl/ha) due to conversion to organic farming and a failed treatment has concentrated the fruit to a unique level in the Médoc. Artistically vinified, it has a velvety texture and a magical integration of the tannins. A beauty. And a very high expression of Merlot, at nearly half of the blend. 98–99