Andrew Jefford | Dark, saturated red-black, still opaque at the core. Earthy, brooding, and promising: a dense aromatic weave of dark fruits and ripe berries, with vanilla, licorice, and white mushroom complexities. Lots of driving acidity and the fruit slightly struggles to keep up with that, but very fair complexity and impressive concentration. Dramatic and showy, with fine tannins, too, but you have to love bright, acid-etched St-Emilion to fully relish this. I’m not sure it’s really a long-term bet, and for me we are far behind the successes of the best Pomerols in this vintage: It carries the strenuous balance of its relatively high altitude. Nonetheless, an assured and stylish wine and a clear success in what is a heterogenous vintage for St-Emilion. | 91

Michael Schuster | A winning, cherry-sweet nose; medium-full, very fresh in acidity, fine in tannin, a most attractive balance. Ripe, juicy, transparent, refined, a beautifully textured, St-Emilion, long and sweet and rewarding and with excellent length. This is delicious and harmonious. Now and for many years to come. Cabernet Franc class will out. My kind of no-excess St-Emilion. Might it be even better with a bit less new wood? Now to 2032+. | 91