Medium, medium-plus colour – paler than the Mazy. The nose starts quite dark and oaky – some dark toast notes that take at least 30 minutes to lift. Redder, less dense fruit is the result, though the dark oak slowly turns to make a nice coffee ‘coating’. Nicely balanced concentration with background velvet tannin. Truth be told it has more of a 1er cru weight, the only distinct grand cru element is the mid-palate flavour – pretty red fruit with a distinct creamy edge and excellent length. Some distance behind the quality of the Mazy, and there are probably better premier crus, but they will cost more than this bottle – value has always been the watchword on the Esmonin GCs, and there is plenty of value in this bottle.

Deep ruby colour though there’s more of an amber caste than the Mazy. The nose shows more oak, but this slowly fades to leave chocolate cake, plum and eventually a toasty cherry note. The palate has good fat and sweet, slowly fading fruit. The tannin is fully resolved though the acidity shows just a little tartness at the end. Less rounded than the Mazy, but despite the tart finish, more than pleasant.