Stephen Brook: Very deep red, almost opaque. Brooding nose, plums and liquorice, a touch baked, more Southern Rhône than Médoc. Rich but tannic, rugged and austere, solid and chunky. Quite a bruiser, and lacks the acidity to give the solidity some lift. Brutal finish, mercifully short. 11

Stephen Browett: Good, deep color. A curious nose of geraniums. The palate has lots of sexy oak and is very sweet and creamy. A decadent wine that is living on the edge. Very intense and ripe but slightly strange. Some tasters found it faulty and scores ranged from 10 to 16. 14

Michael Schuster: Dark red; slightly milky oak to smell, toastier as it sat in the glass; nicely balanced, concentrated middleweight, with a well judged tannin within the vintage; even, cedary, and lightly gravelly flavor, very St-Julien; quite classy, long in the mouth and without excess, good aromatic length. A harmonious 2003. From 2012. 16