Simon Field: A young pretender, its cardinal’s robes worn well on an athletic frame, its mid-palate persona somewhat hard to decipher; a pleasant undertow of spice and licorice is evidenced, as are herbal notes of fennel and even thyme; a touch sauvage at the moment, but this is sure to settle down over the next few years. | 87

Andrew Jefford: Dark black-red, though with less saturation than most of its peers. Warm, sweet, rather soft focus; rounded and gentle. Very attractive, though it will need more focus than this for the longest haul. Perhaps, though, the lack of aromatic focus is misleading, since in the mouth this has tightness, succulence, and gathered force. Super-dense; dramatic blackcurrant and black plum, in a lovely, supple, creamy blanket; profuse, fine-grained tannins. A stunning wine that might hope for one of the highest scores of all if it develops a little more aromatic finesse with time in the bottle. | 92

Richard Mayson: Deep, opaque; like a number of ’16s, this has a leafy green edge on the nose, and the spirit shows through. Similarly rather hard and skinny on the palate, simple, without much ballast or substance to keep it upright. | 79