Stephen Brook: Fairly deep to deep red. Bright, fresh cherry nose, with hints of mint and burned matchstick. Medium-bodied, sleek, and fresh, this combines high ripeness to vibrancy without any trace of raisins. Yet with its supple texture and moderate concentration and acidity, this seems fairly simple and linear. But it has reasonably good length and is better balanced and overall more enjoyable than the more prestigious Ciapusci Vineyard wine [above] 16

Alex Hunt: A fairly appealing nose of plum jam, raisins, smoke, and, unusually, a very strong note of Lapsang tea. Structurally, the palate is evenly balanced (though alcohol is unsurprisingly evident), with just enough grip for the level of ripeness. However, the dominant smokiness does threaten to overwhelm the remaining flavors. The finish is also a little hot and dry. I wonder if there is too much barrel and too little fruit here 14