Stephen Brook: Ripe, peachy nose, with a touch of honey. Medium-bodied, supple, silky, but still rather neutral and one-dimensional. I don’t sense much complexity here, and there’s a slight dullness. White Hermitage can go through a dull patch and re-emerge in triumph, though I don’t sense any great structure or future here. A hard one to call. The finish is leaden and rather short, which doesn’t help 14

Alison Buchanan: Very deep gold/amber, this has not lasted the pace very well. It would intrigue at a fortified tasting as an example of controlled oxidation, but the aromatics are out of place here—oxidative, with some wild-herb refreshment. The palate reflects the nose, rather dried-out fruit trying vainly to pass muster. This is a Hermitage after all, so it possibly gets stronger criticism based on how it should be, and the alcohol has not helped. 7

Anthony Rose: Yellow-gold in color, this has an extraordinary aromatic quality reminiscent of honey, ginger, and marmalade. It’s powerful on the palate, with the oak initially slightly subduing the fruit, which then emerges in the guise of yellow fruits and honey, while the finish is distinctly firm— almost chunky, in fact—and powerful at the same time. It’s impressive in its way but is starting to show excessive oxidation 14