For those who missed it, here’s part 1. I’ll avoid commenting too much on other people’s guesses – simply because it’s unlikely I can do so without giving clues. Anyway, here are the next three contenders:
Wine 4
Medium-plus ruby-red colour, still with hints of cherry. Shiny red fruit on the nose with a black undertow and a little earth, eventually a little orange too. Sweet and concentrated with real mid-palate intensity. Soft entry, well covered tannin with a slowly fading good length that maybe even has a hint of licorice. Rather like wine #3 this displays apparently less ripe tannin when compared to others in its flight.
My mark: 17.0/20, group average 17.7/20
Wine 5
Medium, medium-plus ruby-red. Quite an intense minerally nose that becomes higher toned and I thought just a little lactic but this a short phase before a nice creamier presentation. On the palate there’s a dark aspect to the fruit, good acidity and a nicely expanding and intense presentation in the mid-palate. This is very long with a good creamy fruit flavour. Very nice and accomplished wine – second-best so-far.
My mark: 18.0/20, group average 17.9/20
Wine 6
Medium-plus ruby colour. A very high-toned and forward nose that slowly goes deeper and spicier. Fresh presentation, very nice texture, very good acidity and darker oak-driven notes. The oak is also on the finish, but darkly spicy rather than bitter. The tannins are quite well textured, just a little grain but they are very ripe.
My mark: 18.0/20, group average 17.5/20