All French oak and plenty of perfume on offer here, raspberry, blackberry and red plum, really fragrant fruit that is accented by additional oak fragrance. The palate has tangy cut, slightly jumpy, quite taut – the vintage has this captive for now. Time will see it unwind and there’s a bright wine that has plenty of Barossa power built in – give this time. JS 94
A spicy, savoury, tangy and elegant variation on the RWT style, true to the season. It’s led by firm, finely structured tannins and astringent acidity, underlined by dark chocolate French oak (51% new). There’s gamey, peppery character here, without the focus or integrity of the great vintages, though a sound result for the ’11 season WS 92