Stephen Browett: Black color. A fabulous nose of black olives, truffles, buttered toast and vanilla. An awesome palate of dense black fuit. Sweet yet perfectly balanced—there is incredible intensity here, but yet it is neither too rich nor too dry. One of the rare vins de garde of the vintage, this magnificent wine lingers for minutes. Fantastic and, for me, the wine of the vintage. 19

Andrew Jefford: Very dark; opaque red-black. Fine incense; decked cedar; complex and enticing; polished and perfumed; petit grain. The intensity is shocking, explosive, detonating. Very pure, driving cassis; fine-grained tannins; but what almost surprises the most is the freshness. Long, textured, spring-fruit finish; the cool well in the heart of heat. Drinking in 10+ years.