Andrew Jefford: Mid-depth of walnut, and some green gills. Earth, coffee, black treacle, glowing embers, a faint streak of mint: winter wine. Not quite as deep or weighty as the colors or the aromas suggested, this is, in fact, a mid-weight, with satisfactory flavor complexities, but it doesn’t attain any kind of sublimity. Acidity freshens the palate, and the sojourn in wood has brought the necessary oxidative complexities. I’d enjoy sipping this in the Admiral Benbow Inn 14.5

Richard Mayson: Mid-deep mahogany, with a thin olivegreen- tinged rim; powerful and pungent, touch of rancio, deep and intense on the nose, like peering into a deep, dark well; similarly rich and powerful on the palate, essence of dried figs, with a dry tang rising toward the finish that offsets the initial sweetness. Very fine and poised 18.5: Jancis Robinson: Dark brown, with a pale brown rim. Tangy, gunpowder-like nose. Rather sticky and syrupy on the palate. Fruit a bit baked, though I could imagine this in a zabaglione! Not one of the sweetest wines. Super-tangy. Very clean thanks to very high acidity on the finish. Drink 2000–20 17