Deep cherry-red. The nose shows a really intense redcurrant and cranberry note – very impressive – as I was expecting an attack of oak. The palate has structure, but the tannins are completely covered by the high-quality fruit. The level of extract is higher than some grand crus, what is missing in such a comparison is the complexity. For all that, this is a splendidly dense – but balanced – village wine, I’d be really interested to revisit this in 10 years to see what awaits. It’s only a shame that it costs more than many grand crus!

Nose is mainly toasty oak – not much else. Good acidity and relatively fine, mouth-coating tannins, but where is the fruit? Considering that 1997 is generally a very ripe vintage I amazed that I could only find the ‘wood’. To my palate very disappointing.