Stephen Brook: Opaque red. Lush, opulent blackberry nose, massive fruit here; quite toasty. Rich, plump, luscious, with surprisingly supple tannins. Indeed the tannins, undoubtedly present, are balanced by the intense sweetness of the fruit. Very well made wine, with power and persistence and a jazzy flair. Yet again Pontet-Canet struts its stuff, overcoming the difficulties of the vintage. Long, sumptuous finish. 18

Stephen Browett: Very impressive, deep color. A huge, powerful nose of black cassis fruit. Fabulous density in the mouth. Really ripe and, for the vintage, finely structured Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. Strapping and serious with flavors of licorice and leather. First growth density, and certainly in the same league as the super seconds his year. A very impressive wine indeed. 17.5

Michael Schuster: Inky color; ripe, sweet, new oaky nose; fullish, firmly tannic texture round a very ripe and juicy fruit. It seems to me that the new wood tannin is likely to outdistance the fruit in the time it takes for the wine to fully mature and harmonise. Good length, but you need to like that oaky dryness. High quality fruit, tough texture. Needs at least 10 years...and then some, probably. From 2016. 16