Jesús Barquín: Subtle menthol and spice notes, with a whiff of orange peel. The palate offers greater body characteristic of the vintage, with a slightly drying finish. Long.

Simon Field: Garnet to brick red, mature nose of rosehip and hints of sous-bois; nose has gentle perfume that recalls jasmine and Parma violet. Oaky integration to perfection with hints of leather and St James’s libraries to underwrite class. A shade dry and cerebral, like a lengthy intellectual tract whose merits only become fully apparent retrospectively. 17

Jancis Robinson: Ruby with an orange rim. Mildly animal nose. A little bit of sweet dust (cumin?) and definitely a fully mature wine. Marked acidity and great smoothness. Quite enough fruit in the middle and wonderful length. A second bottle had much less TCA decay around the edges and quite a bit of vital chew on the finish. Pretty sophisticated. Drink 1994–2008 17.5