Stephen Brook: Deep to very deep red. Ripe, stylish black-fruit nose, lifted and elegant, with fine oak. Fairly rich and reasonably fresh; undeniably tannic and grainy but there’s a light touch, too, with no excessive extraction. Has a light chocolaty tone, and there’s some grip as well as finesse on the finish, which is quite long. Pomerol? 17

Andrew Jefford: Dark garnet; mid-maturity to late. Sweet, almost toffeed. Assuming this is a dry and warm vintage (which I think it is), some water stress here, thus more likely to be Pomerol. Quite deep, lush, full, and forceful, with plenty of backing structure. In contrast to the decidedly sweet-toned nose, this is drier, firmer, and more deeply plummy in flavor. Dark, tangy, quite old-fashioned in style. Pomerol second/third terrace/plateau? 14

Hugh Johnson: Maturing, pale rim, darker red. Tight and potent, some oak, slightly astringent. Bouncy; tight and ripe Merlot flavor. Slight mismatch with astringcy. Some serious dark notes suggest much more to come. 14.5