Jesús Barquín: Very dark, almost black. Very intense and concentrated nose, balsamic, licorice, tobacco, ripe black fruit, good balance. On the palate, it is quite muscular, with powerful tannins that are nonetheless soon to melt. Slightly oversized but stopping short of overdone, falling on the “good” side of the mark. 17

Nicolas Belfrage: Very deep and still remarkably youthful. Dried fruit and herbs on nose, root vegetables. Concentrated and complex but untogether; has all the components but lacks the joyous element. Admirable, but hard work. 15.5

Andrew Jefford: Saturated black-red. An aroma buzzing with action: pollen, honey, cooked cherry. Huge penetration and energy; but there are subtler and more nuanced aromatic profiles in this tasting. It seems a little one-dimensional against its peers. The palate, by contrast, is magnificently dense, deep, resonant, and allusive. It is astonishingly concentrated and rich-textured, long, bittersweet, mineral (ferrous) and diverting. Once again, I am a little nonplussed as to how to score this wine. It is possibly the lowest yielding of all; its concentration and force of character commands attention; on the palate, indeed, it is awesome, surely one of the world’s most overwhelming and attention-grabbing wines. As a tannin-lover, I am in raptures—there is so much here and of such fine quality. It may be that the aromatic failings of the wine are simply a question of time; if you put this much in, then it will take a while to emerge with clarity. Nonetheless, aromatically at this stage the wine isn’t working that well. But if you want to be astonished and challenged by a bottle of Amarone, stop here. 18.5