Stephen Brook | Rich cherry and blackberry nose, with a light leathery tone. A fleshy palate, but with bold tannins beneath the very ripe fruit. Alcohol seems to dominate the mid-palate, and the acidity is lower than in most other wines here, so the length is somewhat lacking. So, a forward style, immediate and direct, accessible now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t age. Quite long, but the finish is blunt. | 91

Andrew Jefford | Dark black-red: lots of brooding allure. Sweet-fruited: spiced plum with a little vanilla and a spoonful of cream. Pretty and plump on the nose. Deep fruits here given plenty of shaping from exuberant wood handling. Ample textural wealth, too. The wood is a little too assertive just now, and I’d expect this to be better in four or five years; very sound fruits beneath. | 87

Michael Palij | Pronounced nose, with stewed back fruit including prune, fig, raisin, and date. There is obvious oak indicated by vanilla, char, sawdust, and sweet spice allied to a zesty note of citrus peel. The Sherried note is especially evident on the back of the palate, where the high alcohol combines with the oak to create a griottes profile that robs the wine of any subtlety. | 89