Alison Buchanan: Deep golden/pale amber color. Oxidized on the nose. Hot, earthy soil. We requested a second sample to be fair. Second sample slightly better: rather menthol, sorrel character. Better than first but rather too minty. 12

Stephen Brook: Lightly smoky, tropical-fruit nose; peachy, too. Quite rich, supple, rounded; plenty of up-front fruit, underpinned by some toasty oak. Reasonably balanced, though the acidity is modest. No depth or complexity but satisfying. Would be better without that hint of sweetness on the finish. 14

Oz Clarke: Quite full, fat, rather harsh. Acid plus rather rich, strong, OTT dates and dried apple from a health-food store. Big, rather oxidized, hot country style. It is striving for a more subtle and elegant style, but it isn’t achieving it. Second bottle: sage and savory nose, less OTT. Still a full and ripe style but more acid. Even so, it seems a bit hot really to get a lot of Chardie character. Some Brazil nut and lovage and baked apple. Quite good, not great. 15