Andrew Jefford: Saturated dense black-red. Sweet, warm, heady aromas, billowing out of the glass: lots of hay and bay. Arresting and attractive. Rich, textured, supple, full, spicy... and yet another electrically concentrated wine, another wine where you truly feel you are tasting earth essences. The flavors just drive and drive through the palate, and even after they’ve gone they last another 40 seconds or so. Awesome. Lots of dry thyme, with sweet damson, plum, and bramble fruit. Almost elemental; a thunder-and-lightning Châteauneuf, a wine from the beginning of the world. 17.5

Simon Larkin : The aromas here capture notes of scented dark fruits, soft-skinned, macerated black cherry. There is a wild character to the fruit, hedgerow fruits, withatouch of the medicinal, licorice, too. This is a well-made wine offering good balance with that scented blueberry-fruit character to the fore. Gamey, meaty, and savory to the finish, withatouch of garrigue; these elements assert themselves more evidently on the finish. 14.5

John Livingstone-Learmonth: Matt tones in its rather dark red; big hump of a bouquet—grilled notes, soaked raspberries; has a sweet, rather hang-dog aspect; is weighty. The palate centers on warm, sweet, nearly overripe raspberry fruit and has a near postprandial nature. There are outcrops of flint and garrigue herbs, but the fruit:alcohol ratio is on the stretch, the tannins rather dry. The finish is looser than expected. Questions to answer. Try from mid-2015 to 2022/23. 14