Medium-plus ruby red. The nose is about primary black-edged fruit and a strong spicy/cedar and mineral component – eventually you can get at a tight core of red currant/berry fruit plus a little cooked meat. The palate is still quite linear with a concentrated but mineral showing and plenty of slightly grainy but ripe tannin. Good acidity, the finish doesn’t seem amazingly long, but this is a very primary showing – good if rather brawny stuff – no need to recheck for another 5 years.

Given the primary showing of the 1999 I though it would be good to compare it to this more mature bottle – wrong. Same colour, same nose, same flavours, same apparent level of maturity. Hmm – I think it will be a long wait for those 1999’s! Actually the nose is a little more fruit driven and the texture is silkier – but not such a difference for 8 more years in the cellar.

Disappointed then impressed, then disappointed again. Disappointed that I’ve opened this too young, impressed by how young this wine still is, then disappointed because of taint. The colour still shows a little cherry-red hue to the deep core, moving to ruby at the rim. The nose starts both wide and deep, reminiscent of the 2001, but soon turns a little metallic and slowly an edge of taint develops. Palate is both nicely balanced and deep – but taint for certain.