Tim Atkin: Bright ruby/purple. Still youthful for a 2006. Savory, sweet, lots of oak, but just starting to move into a secondary and tertiary world of dried leaves and fresh leather. Marred by a dry finish, with prominent acidity and drying tannins. Probably better a year ago 14

Stephen Brook: Very deep red. Cooked, bacony, and pruney nose—evolved, unless it was always like this. Either way, it has complexity without being attractive. Plump and spicy, it shows more zest than the nose and doesn’t seem to be tiring, There’s good acidity here and ample concentration—and even a certain assertiveness. The grainy texture adds complexity. Persistent, spicy, and long. An oddball, but the palate is decidedly better than the nose 16

Alex Hunt: Tarry, spicy, slightly gamey nose, leading to a well-balanced if slightly undemonstrative palate. The minerality offsets some of the alcohol, but there’s still a bit of a waft. Still, a refreshingly understated style, given its apparent ripeness 15