SF | The oldest example in today's tasting by some distance, and while the colour has shifted but a little , the aromatic has evolved appreciably taking on a gamy sinewy tertiary character, both more gentle and , strangely , more assertive, the oxidative precursors notwithstanding, the stylistic leitmotif well and truly established. Leaves and truffles, meat and mushrooms; all the descriptors point to the need for gastronomic solace and where better than Gascony to provide it? A long tradition underscored, after all. And few wines are more capable in this respect . 92
AJ | Well, here we are: almost 20 years on and you still can't see through the wine. This is no guarantee of anything, but I note the fact. Opaque black-red Madiran from 2008. On the nose, by contrast, age is certainly evident now, but not necessarily negatively. The wine was too oaky to start with and remains so, but there is a wondeful updraught of pruney fruit from beneath that oak, and a kind of countryside comfort. On the palate, it is deep, dense, shocking, a little bit brutal: a wine from the days when everyone thought power was all and oak could cure all. We now know better; but the messenger is still alive, dense, taut, energetic, packed with extractive force and has more to say, and it deserves respect as such. If you want to taste this wine in 20 years by the way, it will still be alive and have things to say to you.Drink Dates: 2024 - 2044. 91
DW | Barely evolved in appearance, this is still opaque and dense, with just the beginnings of fading colour at the rim. Lots of attractive evolution on the nose and palate: a much softer savoury cast to the flavours, with salted ham, leather and a touch of truffle alongside the soft red fruit, with the finish leading to dried herbs and dried cherries, and all that Tannat tannin-and-acid architecture still very much in place. Monumental. 93