Andrew Jefford: Saturated black-red. Rounded, sweet, warm, classical but just a little bit uneventful in this context. On the palate, though, what a contrast: Suddenly a wine of enormous grandeur drops away. There are the most magnificently multidimensional fruits here: dense, rich, and long, with every black fruit you could ever imagine clinging to the tannic core (tannic, note, not acidic) like wasps to a nest. The result is sensationally exciting. Behind that showy young fruit, there are all sorts of spiced and citrussy complexities, and actually the tannins are quite gentle though prolific. Stunningly complex finish, too. Here’s another wine that I count myself fortunate to have tasted before dying. Will the aromas rouse themselves in time? Perhaps. The harmonious whole is very attractive, if unthrusting. 18

Simon Larkin : Sweet perfumed aromas; the nose offers kirsch and cherry natured fruit. This is a dense, powerful style (suggestive of pure Grenache), with a layered, complex palate of deep, dark cherry allied to garrigue and spice. This is full-on, without a shadow of a doubt, but I like the precision it offers in the context. The alcohol is undoubtedly high, but the palate holds interest. Yes, it errs toward the surmature but doesn’t quite hit it. It hasn’t lost poise for all its generosity. This comes across as an expression of a single parcel of pure Grenache. 17.5

John Livingstone-Learmonth: Dark robe, shiny; smoky, raw tobacco, floral, licorice drifts appeal across the nose. Local color has been provided for the drinker in distant lands. The palate fruit rolls along deeply and effortlessly, picking up fullness as it goes. Its tannins fit in comfortably, providing greater charge and smoky impetus near the finish. All ensemble here—a winning completeness to the wine. Covers a lot of territory and does that well. Drink from late 2015—but no hurry: to 2030/32. 18.5