Alison Buchanan: Golden in color and exuding honeyed orchard fruit on the nose, this is initially appealing. The palate, however, lacks precision and ends with a rather woolly, butter character. 14

Stephen Brook: Smoky, oaky nose, but elegant nonetheless. A rich, succulent style, with ample apricot-and-pear character and a sleek texture. Not a wine with much finesse, but has generosity and opulence and some depth of flavor. Quite a big style for Carneros and far from refreshing, yet it remains impressive. 17

Oz Clarke: Fair green-gold. Quite fresh, toast and apple nose, slight rubber. Palate fairly full and rich, baked apple and lemon peel, quite weighty but not really exciting—full baked fruit plus acid and a little glycerine thickness. 13