Simon Field | A fine demarcation of color, honest and upstanding, and then an equally open aromatic dominated by spruce, fig, and especially damson. Beyond that, a hint of wild strawberry, then eucalypt, mint, and even verbena. This wine opens up gradually and offers increasing pleasure. Then one assesses the palate, and the challenge is immediately redoubled, because there are odd, somewhat unfamiliar notes in the ascendant: aniseed, pine, and even Assam tea among them. Time to reflect... On reflection, one remains mystified by the mechanic of extraction employed here but nonetheless beguiled by the very specific environment that has bequeathed a wine of such intriguing aromatic complexity. | 87

Andrew Jefford | Deep black-red, though clear and limpid now. Sweet, plummy, and warm scents; lots of straightforwardly inviting fruits, since the sweetness is all intrinsic to the fruit itself rather than coming from the exterior wooden vessel. There’s a sweetbrier and honeysuckle charm, too. Old plug tobacco in the sailor’s tin, for those who remember these things. Excellent aromatics here. Deep, but rather uneventful on the palate, however, running on acidity and without a lot of depth or density; it seems like an older wine than 2018. A disappointment after all that aromatic charm. | 86

Anthony Rose | Good, youthful ruby hue. Attractively aromatic, with floral tones and nicely concentrated in flavors of mulberry and blackberry, the initial fruit sweetness turning to savory as a combination of fresh acidity, well-judged sub-threshold oak, and textured tannins changes the equation to make it a wine that cries out for food—roast lamb or chicken, or a vegetable bake. | 89