Neil Beckett:A shade less intense in color, still impressively deep without being suspiciously so. Beautifully balanced, characteristically elegant nose of cedar, minerals, spice, and violets (not the shrinking variety). The same elegance on the palate, harmonious, refined, and subtle, with supple tannins. There is certainly enough density and intensity of fruit as well, however, which was specially hard-won this voluminous vintage (when three green harvests were performed at this and other properties with the right motives and resources). Laporte thought that this might still be recovering from bottle shock, following la mise only a few months earlier. Even so, on the basis of this and the en primeur sample, this is one of the greatest wines in a vintage that was particularly successful for Pomerol.