Andrew Jefford | A translucent clear red-black. Sweet and evolved already, with little primary fruit in evidence and ample oak, but it conveys warmth and affability for all that. Smooth, light, curranty, and open: almost ready now. Not in any way a concentrated or dense wine, yet the balance here is better than for many of its more distinguished peers, without sharpness or acerbity, and there is some sense of stoniness and gravelly warmth to the finish, too. You wouldn’t want to sit on it for long, but it will provide ample short-term pleasure at the right price. | 88

Michael Schuster | A crisply blackcurrant early bouquet; medium-full, firm in both acidity and in tannin, but with a sweetly juicy quality to the flavor within its 2017 firm frame, moderate in complexity, but sapid and satisfying, and with good length. Give this a few more years, and it will be not grand but a very satisfying glassful of Pauillac. 2026–36+. | 88