Simon Field | Foreboding and darkly opaque at the core; hint of brick at the rim, but not conceding much. The nose recalls tapenade, Syrah indulgence, and late-season plum; myrtle maybe. Warming and welcoming—a Mediterranean break. The palate shouts out a little... too much! Syrup, toffee apple; a cloy that one had not anticipated and a saccharine grip on the finish that can only be the work of very ripe fruit and an unfathomably delayed picking regime. | 87

Andrew Jefford | Dark, black-red, just off opaque; no lingering purple. Very fresh and piney on the nose, with some grassy-sweet citrus peels, too: super- aromatic and considerable allure here. There’s even a little thyme and sweetbrier, too. Almost like a vapor rub that you can drink afterward. It’s a little bit overly aromatic, if that’s possible, and the fruit deserves more of the aromatic shout than it is getting, but you have to sit up and take notice. Ditto on the palate: powerfully aromatic fruit swings through toward a relatively acidic, dry finish. It’s a super-exciting wine just now, but I’m not sure I’d put a lot in the cellar for the years ahead. This one will be best young, when you can bathe in all that fragrance. | 91

Anthony Rose | Medium-ruby. Nicely spicily aromatic, with hints of pepper and cinnamon spice from a well-judged veneer of oak. The fruit is medium- bodied and sinewy textured in blackberry-like mold, all well held together thanks to a stylish veneer of oak spice and an appealing freshness that comes in part from the underlying acidity. A twist of astringency brings a savory, food- friendly aspect to a very well-made wine. | 93