Andrew Jefford: deep black-red in color, and just off - opaque. this is very coff eeish to smell at first; give it plenty of air, though, and beneath the roasted beans you’ll find earth, black olives, and roasted meat. Intense, deep, and wonderfully ample and complex on the palate: a masterful wine of intricately contoured tannins and dense black fruits, which subside into a warehouse of root spices and dried citrus peels. Super-low acidity, with ripeness pushed to the very cusp, but the extractive matter more than compensates. I feel that I’ll prefer the aromatic profile in a year or two, provided the coff ee subsides, but the density and complexity of the palate suggest that this will be a resonant and commanding wine. 17.5

Simon Larkin : the nose off ers dusky, brooding dark fruit. powerful, mouth-coating fruits with garrigue and spice in a wine that is more gamey, savory in its way. I find the finish overtly alcoholic, a turbocharged châteauneuf—a monument to grenache? no shrinking violet here, this powers/muscles its way through. While I find the finish quite hot and overt, I would be intrigued to see how this fares with age—will it be tamed? I would guess it will move toward the porty end of the spectrum. I can’t help thinking more balance would be achieved if this were part of a broader blend, but I daresay this attracts a following and points. I am personally undecided but intrigued. hard to score. 16.5

John Livingstone-Learmonth: Matt tones in its dark plum red robe; grilled air with herbes de Provence, thyme present, a sweet undertone here. Breathes a little warm-soils note. palate gives a brewed, red-berry fruit flavor, with some strength in its tannins. grenache-centric wine with a somewhat doughty nature—not a smiler, more a stern looker. grippy, knuckle finish here: It is still en route along its country lane. More upright and angular than spherical. from 2016 to 2027/30. 15.5