Simon Field | Deep color, saturated purple. Presaging a mastery of tannic domination, the fruit is yet to take on secondary characteristics to defend itself. Somewhat raw and unalloyed and, therefore, unformed. This is one to watch over the next few years, maybe. | 87

Andrew Jefford | Dark black-red, though not opaque. Very sweet and spicy, with ample vanilla, cinnamon, and clove over ripe plum and black-cherry fruits. Super-exotic and seductive, almost as if there were some lushly ripe Viognier in here as well. On the palate, by contrast, it’s a bit of a parody: tons of spice and exoticism allied to over-lively acidity, and lacking naturalness in general. | 83

David Williams | Some sweet oak and Bourbon-barrel vanilla dominates here, before a waft of very pronounced alcohol. | 84