Medium cherry red colour. Lovely nose, red cherry with a shade of black fruit. The smooth palate has good depth, good acidity together with mild tannins. Medium length. This is a pure and pretty wine with little to dislike.

A good medium/medium-plus colour, virtually no fading. The nose has high toned raspberries and a decadent red cherry. Lovely concentration to the fruit, very fresh acidity and well mannered tannins. Good length – did I buy a case of this? – I think I did – a good decision!

Medium-plus ruby, the merest shade browner at the rim. The nose is deep with a little oak and sweet high toned fruit. The palate is also sweet and still a little marked by oak. The fruit is slightly cooked and doesn’t have as much concentration as I would like. There’s also fairly rough acidity and a grainy texture to the tannins. I don’t think this bottle is out of condition. Considering that this is a wine I often buy, very disappointing.

Deep ruby – just fading a little. A lovely nose of focused red cherry overlaying candied red fruits. Concentrated fruit on the palate with smooth, very 1996, acidity and well hidden tannins. It doesn’t have the fat it showed 3 years ago, but is still some way from maturity. Very good villages.