SF | Dense colour, nose of dried fruit, licorice and thyme, herbs to the fore and dark bitter chocolate thereafter. Impressive and still quite domineering oak treatment, the lonestar of firm acidity guides us through however , affording pleasing prescience and a hint of pleasure deferred. Austere and generous at the same time; patience required. 92
AJ | Very dark midnight-black and opaque: the darkest wine in the tasting so far. Sweet fruits, ample oak, in quietly brooding style; some earthiness; a little cardboard note too, less alluringly. Very serious but still sorting itself out, five years later. Dense, depth-charge fruit with the usual whale-spout of acidity. Searching, concentrated, ambitious and long. That slight cardboard note which was there on the aromas is also there on the palate and spoils the overall effect slightly of what is otherwise a pure, sheer and striking wine with real qualities. Excellent tannins, well bonded to the fruit and with some succulence to them.Drink Dates: 2024 - 2030. 90
RM | Very deep in hue, inky and opaque; restrained but with something slightly woody and casky underlying on the nose; similarly rather leathery and a bit rustic on the palate, some richness and depth but missing out on the freshness and finesse, perhaps until the finish where some fine cherry fruit shows though. This may just need more time to show at its best.Drink Dates: 2026 - 2035. 88