Nice and crisp. Clean with a good line. A touch of oak and something a little more tropical or melon-like. ***1/2

Blind. Just a touch of garnet. Fragrant in a slightly meaty, caramel way. A touch of evolution and a slight dustiness. Decent fruit. Nicely crisp. Opens up to a riper and more confected nose — more 02 now perhaps. ***1/2

Blind. Dusty, and seemingly a touch corked though it doesn't develop further.maybe just tannin. 05 possibly? Good grief, no. Nothing like previous seven bottles of this. Possibly slightly stripped, though it does seem to pad out — not sure what the fault is here, but it's not representative of the wine.

Blind. Nicely fragrant nose. Dusty fruit. Brighter and with higher acidity than the previous wines, denser too. There's more to this than the others. Plenty of depth. Puts on weight in the glass and then lightens and sharpens again. Lots of interest. ****

Blind. Quite dense and savoury. Beef stock, thyme, and a pinch of dark chocolate. Nice and rich on the palate; chocolate and cob nut. Opens to something sweeter but retains a curiously herbal nose. ****

Blind. Quite dense, a little dusty. Some acidity and a slight bitterness on the finish. Somewhere between swimming pool and corkiness. Off anyway.

Blind. Dusty, mellow. A little pinched and less generous on the palate. Opens up well though. ***1/2

Blind. Very fragrant. Some depth here. Cherry-led fruit. Quite plush, but starts to show a little tannin with air. Harmonious and food friendly. ****

Blind. Similar fragrance to the 98 Grencheurs alongside. Just a little softer and a pinch sweeter. Very harmonious and smooth. Lovely. Atypical for the 97 stereotype. ****