Simon Field: Purple plush; heady and rich; a dark core, its color faithful to what is to follow on the nose and palate; hedgerow and violets, hothouse plants and the comfort of the hearth. There is quite a burn on the palate, intimations of dark fruit ceding to darker more saturnine resolve: Goya meets Murillo. Not the most friendly of examples at the moment but worthy of serious consideration in due respect to its gravitas and textural complexity. | 91

Andrew Jefford: Very deep, dark, black-red with purple glints; glass-clinging. Beefy, bustling, warm, and enticing scents; lots of sweet cassis, too. Straightforward but very engaging. Deep, firm, attacking, with lots of sewn energy; there’s ample spice to back up the plum and cherry fruits. Ample, generous tannins, with a fleshiness to them entirely missing (for example) in the 2007s. All that this wine is missing is a creamy sumptuousness of fruit, but you’ll find lots in its place. | 91

Richard Mayson: Deep, dark, and duskily perfumed, dense, with a lot more to give; rich and voluptuous in style, yet showing great restraint, dark-chocolate concentration fully evident, with big, solid tannins leading to a massive finish, with freshness and vibe. Hugely impressive. 2030++. | 97