Andrew Jefford | Dark, opaque black-red. Plump, fleshy, warm, and rich, with lush plum, a little fleshy raisin, a little beef stock, some rummaged earth and suggestion of smoke: complex and detaining. This is dense and deep, with prominent acidity, ample tannins, and lively, perhaps over-lively fruit; in the end, the wine has a slightly edgy balance and the oak consequently looks a little out of place. The higher altitudes in St-Emilion have thrown up a combination of rich fruit with pronounced acidity in this vintage, which makes for challenging balances in general, and that challenge is often exacerbated by lavish oak treatments. Best to give this concentrated wine some time to sort out its balances before broaching. | 90

Michael Schuster | Discreet, gently mineral nose, youthful and closed; full-bodied, concentrated, firmly tannic wine, a firm, long-term balance; deep, ample, ripe- fruited flavor, powerful and muscular for the cru, long across the palate, intense, savory, and long and aromatic to finish. Currently this is rather raw and forceful, for all its ripe fruit, and it will need a long time in bottle to mellow. 2033–50+. | 93