Jesús Barquín: Stewed meat, lees, intense but closed, wanting aeration. Tight palate; it is all about structure now, expression must wait: massive tannins, obvious alcohol, balanced acidity. My guess is this has good potential and needs some cellaring: at least four or five years. 15

Nicolas Belfrage: Medium deep. Herbs and dried fruits on nose. A little thin on palate following [Sergio Zenato Riserva Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2006]; no great fruit, and tannins tough. Leave three years. 13

Andrew Jefford: Dark black-red. Meaty, warm; the fruit is a backing note here, while the earth and the energy of the season are to the fore. On the palate, this is a slightly eccentric Amarone in that (as with the aromas) the cherry/plum/ sloe fruit spectrum one expects in this wine is so recessive, and instead it comes across as an extractive, slugging, gun-totin’, varmint-slaying, big, slabby red. But jeez, there is an awful lot in here, and its extractive/mineral force is grandiose in its own way. A very serious wine for the collector interested in the full aesthetic spectrum of the style. 16.5