Simon Field | The first bottle languishes in a miasma of mediocrity; TCA possible. Bottle two is much better. Autumn leaves, dried straw, summer meadows, and dark fruit; a bucolic scene. Behind that, there is woodsmoke, incense, and a tryst of Turkish delight. The palate betrays the oak more readily; maybe a small proportion of new oak, and there is quite a marked alcohol quota. The wine does not jeopardize its sense of place, however; the liminal resin, the bosky scrub, and the anise thread are all evidenced behind the oak and will all, slowly but surely, emerge into the relative cool of an imminent Languedocian spring. | 91

Andrew Jefford | Deep black-red, with purple glints, though no longer opaque. Bottle one was compromised aromatically, but bottle two is much better: sweet, warm, savory, deep, and comfortable, with the warmth of the meadow and the forest lurking just offstage. Deep, vigorous, long, and generous on the palate, with the emphasis firmly on fruit. This has less bitterness and less emphatic tannins than many. Smooth, sound, highly drinkable. | 88

Anthony Rose | This is an attractively youthful ruby, showing appealing scents of pepper and spice, with a fruit quality that’s nicely concentrated in the black-cherry and blackberry spectrum. Well-judged oak adds complexity and a chocolaty note, bringing rounded, supple-textured elements to a thoroughly enjoyable red. | 91