David Harvey | Mid-ruby red hue. Dulling—suggests it’s ready. Light haze. Slightly closed upon pouring. Sullen. Needs a spot of air and time. Palate is fluid on the attack, very precise on the finish. Flavors escalate in intensity. Fine-grained, long, and precise. Comes to a crunch. At once bright and refreshing, serious and winey. The wow-factor in a non-blockbuster way. May be a better red than we realize, due to the compacting effect of high acidity, which masks mouthfeel and texture. Really delicious. In a perfect (dream) Chianti kind of way. Hyper-pure, honest, and long. Makes me imagine what Haut-Brion ’85 was like in 1989. | 18.5

Andrew Jefford | Dark red-black. Earthy, vivid, slightly grubby nose. Rather harsh, chunky palate. Modest red wine in coarse, gutsy, unpolished style, with plenty of bitterness on the finish. | 10.5

Isabelle Lageron | Black cherry, almost kirsch-like, nose, with some ripeness on the palate, but overall the wine is surprisingly fresh. Dark, spicy plums, medium tannins, some savory notes developing from the tertiary bottle development—cedar, fresh tobacco-leaf, spices. Big, delicious wine. Ready now, but not sure it will develop as the finish could be a dash more concentrated and longer. | 16.5

Francis Percival | Smoke and tar on the nose. This is confidently black-fruited, with just a whisper of attractive herbaceousness. Quite an open tannic structure. Immediately accessible, but I am not sure this is a wine with too much of a hinterland. | 13

David Williams | Sappy, juicy, black cherry-berry fruit and subtly herbal in a Campari-like style, very simple and easy-going, but that succulence gives it a thirst-quenching appeal. | 12

Doug Wregg | Dark red wine with good color. Black fruits—plums, black berries—on the nose, ebullient attack on the palate, with dark cherry-skinned fruits leading the way, a rasp of pepper, bitter almonds, and properly crunchy acidity. Plenty of tannin in the locker. Needs food—braised beef. | 17.5