Medium, medium-plus colour. Lovely precise dark fruits on the nose, partly shaded to black, hints of minerals too before a beautiful note of violets takes centre-stage – just lovely. Cool in the mouth with initially understated impact, yet there is a wonderful complexity of fruit flavours. Just about perfect acidity finally meets tannin with a little hard grain to it. Long and very fine indeed – a clear winner!

Starts tight before slowly delivering a little musk – the last drops smell gorgeous though. Lovely in the mouth; round yet beautifully balanced. A beautifully contemplative wine.

Very mature medium/deep brick colour. Intense nose has toasty oak turned sweet with age and is very mocha with a background of soil, develops a very meaty overtone after a couple of hours. Still some higher fruit tones redolent of stewing prunes. The palate is broad and silky, still with lingering acidity, good smooth tannin and chocolatey notes. Initially in the mouth this wine seems a bit simple and is certainly not much more than medium length, palate broadens further with time, but no extra length. Too young ? Certainly it is a fine wine today and has enough structure for a few more years, I’m not sure there will be a benefit in waiting though. Just in case, I have another and will try it when it’s 20 vs Jadot’s & Bouchard’s 1998 version !