Andrew Jefford: Very dark, saturated black-red. A nose more vegetal and less fruit than many, but not herbaceous: plant and stone. Oak, too, to sweeten the mix. Will the fruit steal forward in the next few years? Let’s see what the palate suggests. Here it is concentrated, full, perhaps less textured and tannic than the color suggested, with relatively brisk acidity, but very gathered and poised. More importantly, perhaps, the blackcurrant fruits are now amply apparent, so it probably just needs another year or two to knit. The combination of freshness and darkness of fruit is typical of St- Estèphe. A cool-cat classic. The aromas improve in the glass and this fine wine grows in stature with exposure to air, and the tannins thicken a little, too, all of which bodes well. 2018–26. 93

Michael Schuster: Closed to smell, but minerally and with a ripe blackberry fruit emerging; rich, elegant, vital, finely if firmly tannic; still tight and quite austere, but the tannins are fine-textured, the fruit is sweet and subtle, this is long to taste, complex and aromatic across the palate, and long and sweet-fruited to finish. Refined, elegant, fairly long-term Calon, a refined expression of classic St-Estèphe. Firm, fine, classy, but needing plenty of time. 2025–35+. 92