Simon Field | Pungent. Marmalade and wild flowers; sour honey and very expensive butter that has been left out of the fridge; apricots and quince. The impression of sweetness is dissipated by prestidigitation and the rigors of the legislature. Dry and smoky. One’s latent disappointment is mitigated by the knowledge that this would be gastronomically hugely versatile, poulet de Bresse being but the most obvious example. | 91

Andrew Jefford | Mid- to deep bright gold. Not unattractive but, for me, not as successfully aged as our 1999 Arbois; there is something just a little bit sickly sweet about the aromas of this wine. Amid all the fallen grain and sunlit autumn fields, there is a slight note of silage and rotting fruits. Not unattractive or undrinkable, but I am trying simply to be precise about what I am smelling here. Aging Vin Jaune is a rather unpredictable business. Alas, all of this is true on the palate, too, and those notes I alluded to above would make this rather hard for me to drink with much pleasure. | 74

Roy Richards | Startling nose of apricot, like a vin de paille. Is there residual sugar, as used to be the way with Vin Jaune in the past in hot vintages? On the palate, I would reckon so. It makes for a very different style of wine—interesting, but not as fine. | 90