SF | Holding colour well, but aromatically a little less sure of itself; secondary fruit characters ceding to a leafy slightly tired personality. The palate relies a little too much on the linearity provided by the acidity and fails to seduce structurally. 88
AJ | Oh! Right ... this is dark -- darker than the 15s and 16s in our tasting. A very serious looker, with purple still loitering and almost opaque to the rim. I had hoped for miracles given the colour but in fact the aromas here are mildly disappointing: canned fruits and tomato, lacking vivacity and lift. Sweet and rather kinky in style. Lavish, lush fruit, but lacks purity and lift. A bit of a box-ticker, but you can't do this by extraction alone: you need to do the work in the vineyard.Drink Dates: 2025 - 2029. 85
RM | Still deep and surprisingly youthful in hue; fine, fragrant minty berry fruit emerging in the glass with similarly fresh berry and cassis fruit flavours on the palate, lovely purity of fruit, firm, slightly green, astringent tannins but upfront and ready to drink giving plenty of pleasure now.Drink Dates: Now - 2045. 92