Michael Schuster | Deep purple; the first wine to really "show" the new oak on the nose [the sample tastes a touch oaky too], and also with that hint of the "sweet and sour" of oxidation to smell; rich, vital, finely and firmly tannic, but the incipient oxidation has clearly shortened this wine, so that the sample simply cannot be representative. The structure, definition and vitality are there, but not the tenacity and persistence; it’s long, but it slackens after the attack, and the tannins are a touch pinched... Fine length... but...! Even the faintly oxidized Reignots tasted splendid next to this. The wine will doubtless be wonderful, but it is difficult to assess fairly and truly on this sample. | NS