Medium, medium-plus colour. This has a nose that starts with quite a bit of vanilla – it’s also reflected in the early flavours – not my favourite but it just about avoids excess; behind is a raspberry coulee, and very nice that is! In the mouth this has the weight of a 1er cru Epenottes and a good ripe aspect to the fruit which lingers on an understated but fine line of acidity. If told this was a 1er cru from Beaune I don’t expect you’d quibble – though you might reject the barrel vanilla. Over 2-3 hours the unneccessary vanilla make-up fades significantly from both the aromas and flavours but underneath is a wine of excellent value.

Medium-plus colour. Deep, dark fruit with floral top notes and a hint of mineral – limited width but great top to bottom dimension. Full, rounded and quite sensuous; not too sweet and there is good buffering acidity. Dark fruit tones and a velvet tannin that you have to search for. Long lasting on a mineral note. More challenging than the Bouchard ‘baby Jesus’ today and a better wine for it – the future can look after itself. Super wine and something of a bargain.

Aromas offer some authority while remaining rather understated. Fine, ripe tannin. The fresh-face of youth may have gone, but this is flavour-packed and not a bit tight. Super balance and a similar style diminuendo of finish to the 2006, but longer…

More evolved aromas that even hint at maturity with a few forest leaves, though for now they are clearly subordinate to the fruit. This is very full, full of tannin too but quite finely grained. There remains a little dryness, but like sand it’s not astringent.

Delicate hints of perfume light up the nose, eventually adds herbs too – rather complex. The flavour likewise delivers that same perfumed note together with dried dark fruits well matched to plenty of structure. Super.

More spice and herbs on the nose. Higher-toned flavours, dark fruit brings lots of interest – a lovely burst of flavour in the mid-palate that follows the acidity into the finish.

A wide and fine, almost soft nose. Sweet ripe fruit with ripe, slightly grained tannin which seems partly buried. Understated length with a faint astringency.

Higher toned and more perfumed than the 09. Plenty of acidity, good tannin has a little astringent ‘grab’. Lingering, impressively precise flavours. The 09 is more sumptuous, this has more detail.

Actually harvested on the same date as the 03.There’s a little more aromatic density if not a more obvious ripeness than the 08, eventually some precise dark berries. This is concentrated and fresh, not obviously of the vintage. A real success.

The nose has lovely high-toned perfume. Mouth-filling with plenty of tannin that still shows an edge of astringency. The finish is very understated, perhaps not the longest either. I’m surprised that I much prefer the 07.

A very nice depth and width of red and black fruit. Supple tannin, quite silky, good fruit.

High tones of flowers and herbs with a width of understated red and black fruit. Plenty of structure underpinned with plenty of ripe fruit – that tannin seems ripe too. A good burst of interest in the mid-palate and a long finish. Tasty stuff!