Alison Buchanan: Very rich, honeyed, green–gold in colour. Attractive steely intrigue. This has a lovely concentration and seductive character that almost obscures the terroir. Effusive and powerful, there is nonetheless an appealing undercurrent on minerality and some nutty undertones. This is a lovely wine on a different level and will appeal less to commercial buyers as to real wine enthusiasts, fascinated by something different – happily not overly marked by the vintage and very well made. 16.5

Alex Hunt: Creamy, almost luscious nose of baked fruit and warm stones. Impressively characterful for 2003. The palate is soft and slightly toffee–flavored, but still shows some energy and interest. Slightly awkward wine, but good for the vintage. 13.5

Andrew Jefford: Full gold. Unctuous and wholly untypical – but delicious nonetheless. There’s an aromatic richness here that is almost Burgundian (Côte d’Or not Chablis), though the notes and allusions are wholly different: apricot, mallow, burdock. Fascinating and compelling. (Blind, you might almost guess Viognier). Rich, chewy, fat and rich; what a wonderful and strange Sancerre, having been through the great sea change of 2003. Full of exotic flowers and herbs…but, yes, aromatically very powerful: the great heat hasn’t flattened the wine’s aromatic potential, just altered it. It has acidity, though its role in the wine’s overall balance is very different from normal; it is far less structural and more complimentary. Terroir comes through in the finish, which is mineral–rich. I feel almost guilty about awarding my highest mark so far to a wine which is so left–of–field, but this is great, provocative and sensually compelling wine, and it will last well, too. 18