Medium, medium-pale colour. A little warmth of alcohol in the nostrils but chocolate, good stems and clean undergrowth too – it was very pretty. In the mouth there is sweetness, good balancing acidity and a tannin that just occasionally shows itself in the quite long finish. Dry stuff that description – often the problem with recollections – it doesn’t tell you that everyone around the table was oohing and ahing and saying the same word – ‘lovely’. Showing very well now but with the balance to last and last…

Medium ruby-red colour – looks great in the glass. The nose has a little more truffle than the Clavelier, some brown sugar and higher tones – pretty, but less pretty than the Brulées. In the mouth it’s nicely sweet, reasonably concentrated and provides a lingering sweet, mouth-watering finish that has more than one dimension. There’s still a little bitter oak in the finish but it’s only a minor distraction today. It needs at least another 2 or 3 years to reach its apogee, but it’s still a very tasty bottle.

Medium cherry red colour. The nose has red fruit, a confiture of roasting raspberries and just a little spicy oak and alcohol. With time in a decanter the palate becomes sweet and supple but starts with a very grainy and oaky expression that is wearing. The fruit has good concentration and some depth and complexity, good acidity and silkily soft tannin. There’s a reasonable turnaround in the decanter so the oak will better integrate with time and what’s underneath is very lovely, but I’m still concerned for the future. Despite only medium concentration, because of the oak I won’t touch another of mine before its tenth birthday.