Simon Field | Oak in the ascendant here, ballast for the Grenache plush, not without spicy charm and the appeal of alcoholic grip. A touch saline on the finish, the Baron’s thyme and laurel playing their part, hitherto somewhat obfuscated by the rigors exacted in the winery. | 87

Andrew Jefford | Relatively light, clear, and translucent compared to most of its Châteauneuf-du-Pape peers. Distinctive menthol aromas, with some animal notes, too. Singular and insistent. Smooth, light, dry, and mentholly/animal on the palate, too. Disappointing in this company. | 83

David Williams | Some rubbery reduction leading into a wine of direct, slightly edgy, but supple, succulence: blackberry and black olive and balsamic notes, and, on the finish, some macerated herb, Campari style, in a style that is simpler but easier to drink than its peers today. | 88