Michael Schuster: Very fat, very refined, very ripe blackberry to smell, with its characteristic background minerality; a rich, powerful wine, fruit and gravel aroma packed within a very firmly but very finely tannic frame; grape essence within a tannic grip. Deep, dense, resonant, blackberry fruit, with the Haut-Brion refinement, complexity, and drama there behind the up-front weight; great length across the palate, and terrific aromatic saturation and persistence on the finish. Hugely impressive, imposing, powerful. And it will doubtless make a great bottle in the long term—needing 15–20 years, I should think. But I have a personal preference for the gentler 2008, where I can actually taste the fruit, subtlety, and terroir more clearly... 2025–50. 19/19.5

Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: A giant, the intensity of the tannins breaking all records. A concentrated 2009, absolutely unique in its genre; the foundation is monumentally noble, but it requires patience to experience the true joys of the wine. 19.5