Andrew Jefford: Saturated dense black-red. Powerful fruit with some oak evident; the warm throb of fruit is firmly to the fore. Needs time to acquire aromatic articulacy. Dense, deep, concentrated, and intensely fruited, yet relatively smooth in texture. Very long, though, with the old-vine power driving the wine into its long, slow finish. If you hanker for acidity in Châteauneuf, find it here—but in beautifully ripe form. Hard to fault for length, yet I slightly miss the breadth of some of the other wines. On the plus side, this is very graceful, despite the alcohol it must obligatorily carry (which is invisible except to those who would hunt for it). A purring puma. 16

Simon Larkin : Oh, boy, this doesn’t nose like Châteauneuf. I am immediately struck by the vanillin nuances of new oak that override the aromatics. The palate impresses more—sweet, layered fruit with fine freshness, but that oak element obliterates typicity. There is an odd nuance to the fruit, as if sweetened by creamy oak. This isn’t to my taste, but the fruit beneath does possess some good substance and precision. I am impressed by the fruit quality more than the interpretation; it loses what I look for in Châteauneuf, though it might be a good wine in its own right, if a little anonymous. 13.5

John Livingstone-Learmonth: Dark, full robe; Big-scale bouquet, featuring charred oak, soaked black cherries or griottes, the oak lending a varnish, resin angle. Has an obvious abundance. The palate works on texture—oily, smooth—as well as on the intensity of its crushed black berries, cassis. The oak returns on the finish, dries the palate now, and I feel could have been attributed a lesser role—either a lower proportion or a quieter smoking of the oak. For now, the effect is to render the coating international. The balance outside the oak is good. From 2016 to 2029/32. 16