Michel Bettane: Big color, very spicy nose, very ripe Merlot, with some strange and, for me, rather inelegant Petit Verdot-like roasted element; nice texture, nice finish, but very 2009, hot style. 16

Thierry Desseauve: Dark color, pronounced spicy and fruity aromas on the nose and in the mouth. Powerful, with a bitter note on the finish. 15.5

Michael Schuster: Sweetly ripe fruit on the nose; a slightly austere style in the vintage context, firm in both acidity and tannin, and with these impressions dominating the fruit somewhat; a subtle length and complexity within the firm structure, but a pretty long-term 2009. Certainly lacks the seductive character of much of the year. 2020–30. 15.5