Jesús Barquín: Looks concentrated. The nose offers licorice, underbrush, wet earth, vanilla, and a subtle animal note (Brett?) that I find pleasing but others might dislike. The palate is smoother and plusher than one might have guessed: balanced, with notes of leather again, and a long, intense finish. Enjoyable already in spite of its youth. 16.5

Nicolas Belfrage: Deep, almost opaque. Ripe cherry and blackberry jam on nose. Quite dry—that is, lacking sweetness on finish, tannins a bit aggressive, acidity even more so. Teeth- and tongue-coating finish; such sweetness as there is disappears. Amarone for the lover of the dry style but too dry for me. 13

Andrew Jefford: Deep red-black in color. Aromatically taciturn and slightly vegetal in style, but clean and fresh; it may need more air. On the palate, though, this is rigid, hard, and dry by comparison with the best of its peers; disappointing in context, and not living up to the grandeur of the Amarone ideal. 11