Stephen Brook: Opaque red. Oak dominates the nose, but there is a good deal of rich, black fruit shimmering beneath the surface. Licorice, too. Rich, dense, and chewy, but in no sense any excessive extraction. Certainly robust, but there’s spice and vigor to sustain the wine. A muscular style of Pomerol, with pronounced oak tannins that will take some time yet to resolve and integrate. Little finesse. Quite long, though the finish is brusque. 16

Andrew Jefford: Dark, saturated red-black. Ripe, black fruits with a coffee edge from gentle oak. Warm-scented; no trace of constraint here, though perhaps in a big vintage the oak would be a little less apparent. Deep, vigorous, early-season black cherry and plum with a swirl of coffee. Supple, fine-grained tannins and a well-sustained middle palate for the vintage; artfully constructed and as ripe as one could hope for this year. Relatively slender toward the finish, and cool acidity apparent there, but overall this is a shapely Pomerol that will bring much pleasure in the short and mid-term. 15