Obviously good quality but too young and linear for my taste. Mostly chalk and lime, just hints of light cream and apple. Long finish dominated by lime and minerals.

Initially I suspected something was slightly off with this bottle. Lots of murky wood and damp cellar but this gradually faded over the first 2 hours and eventually dissapeared, leaving an increadibly beautiful wine. On the nose classic cassis, some spice and sandalwood. Some development but still quite youthfull. After 3-4 hours mushrooms, hints of cola beans, fine tobacco and very light coffe. On the palate perfectly balanced, elegant and silky, oozing sophistication and finesse but with a beautiful, sweet fruit to it. Increadibly vital and energetic, with lots of spicebox, cassis, raspberries and some herbs. This is not the most powerfull wine - Greta Garbo, not Anita Ekberg. I kept repeating balance, finesse, etc. One of my greatest wine experiences ever. Pure bliss! Very impressive staying power. Kept developing and revealing new stuff for 6+ hours. Starting to fade a bit after 7+. Make sure to give this plenty of time to open up. WOTN.

Quite elegant and restrained with noticable tannin and gravel and high acidity. Cassis and plum. Hints of spicebox. Some complexity. Very dry and long finish. Good now with obvious class but not sure where this is heading in the future. If the tannins mellow a bit and the fruit lasts this might be a beautiful wine in ten years, but if the fruit fades it will be very hard and unforgiving. Based on this bottle I would drink up.

On the nose dark, burly fruit with cassis and some blueberry. Meat, iron filings, gravel. Plenty of tannin. Good lenght. Lots of good stuff but obviously too young and lacking complexity. Give this at least another five years. Plenty upside.

Upon opening immediately impressive with beautiful fruit - plum, cassis, cherry - pencil shavings, mineral and grass. A big wine but still elegant. Long and seamless. Good development over several hours, revealing some complexity. Very, very good. Could improve with some further cellaring but no harm in opening a bottle now.

Very, very stiff competition tonight and the Cantemerle really struggled and eventually fell fell short of the rest of the field. Still a good, everyday claret with quite nice fruit but lacking finesse and balance. The oak is a bit too obtrusive and not well integrated. Some positive development over the first 2-3 hours but then starting to fall apart.