Simon Field | Tar, soot, hearthside, sinews, and muscle; youthful, tightly wound. The nose is almost amorphous in its disjoint. Once again, the sheer ripeness of fruit on the palate calms the siren voices of spirit and acidity; a plush come-hither personality, a powerful rejoinder to remind us of the joys to come, of the jewels at our feet. | 93

Andrew Jefford | Blackheart colors, just deigning to purple a little at the meniscus. Aromatically, this is one of the ’17s that is brooding rather than articulate at present, but the omens are good: fresh fruit, fine spice, some floral lift, a touch of tar and licorice. Search and you will find lots of aromatic reassurance. Tangerine-peel prettiness, too— excellent, even if quiet just now. There is huge depth and wealth on the palate: a great steamroller of power, depth, fruit essence, floral intrigue, and lumbering force, just beginning to sort itself out. Hugely impressive young Vintage Port about which, in due course, essays will be written. Sensational stuff. Trying to taste it adequately right now is like trying to discern a great writer when she or he is eight or nine. So much to come, but we can’t really know what it is just yet. | 98

Richard Mayson | Deep, dense morello cherry and plum fruit on the nose; similarly ripe, tight-knit, and dense on the palate, lovely definition in common with so many 2017s, lovely firm tannins and vibrancy mid-palate and onto the finish. Long and lithe, with bittersweet intensity. | 93