Andrew Jefford | Saturatedly deep black-red; opaque almost to the meniscus. Oaky, dark, rich, and vivid aromas with bright plum, black cherry and damson fruits. It’s arresting and charmingly fruited—but the oak remains a little overly prominent, as those fruits are relatively restrained. On the palate, this is a brightly fruity wine but without much central palate wealth, though it has some textural support from the lively tannins. Here, too, I feel the oak is a little over-prominent, rather snuffing out the grace and charm that this subtle fruit spectrum would otherwise bring. Is there a case for aging in amphorae here? Best to look again at this wine in five years, when its elements may have settled down somewhat and the tide of oak receded. | 89

Michael Schuster | Dense and sweetly ripe to smell; deep, sweet, succulent flavor, juicy and long across the palate, complex, close-grained, aromatic, and fine, an impressive combination of the seductive and the subtle, and with excellent, warm, fruit-fragrant length. Top-quality St-Emilion in the year’s powerful style. 2030–45+. | 94