Simon Field | Austerity writ large here, in color, aromatic, texture, and structure. No bad thing, you may think. Dark chocolate, black cherry, late-season violets, and a hint of camphor. One thinks Calvin when one should maybe be thinking Rabelais. There is a bitterness at the back, born maybe out of the shard of firm acidity that bolsters the edifice. With time, the truth will out. The jury can return, and all preconceptions can be either vindicated or dashed. | 89

Andrew Jefford | Dark black-red to purple at the rim, but less saturated than some. Savory, slightly ill-favored or ill-sorted aromas, with less charm and freshness than many of its peers: beef stock and meat essence. Not unattractive, however, and this may be a stage. Well built and full on the palate, but once again the wine is held back by its lack of purity and refinement. | 85

Richard Mayson | Ripe but rather stewed and ill-defined on the nose; perhaps needs time to knit and emerge. Similarly ripe berry fruit initially on the palate, firm gravelly tannins, and a long, linear but slightly green finish. Leaves me in a quandary... | 84