The Clos du Marquis 2005 is evolving into a little beauty. It has an opulent, downright sexy bouquet with macerated dark cherries, briary, mint interlaced with candied orange peel that is beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with sturdy tannin cloaked in spicy red fruit, hints of red peppercorns and graphite infusing the finish that fans out gloriously. Yet everything remains tightly controlled thanks to the tight rein on acidity. Cannot afford Léoville Las-Cases? Then you know where to come.

The superb second wine, the 2005 Clos du Marquis, reflects the utter brilliance of the 2005 grand vin. It boasts an inky/ruby/purple color along with a sweet perfume of lead pencil, ripe cherries and black currants, and hints of earth and vanillin. Dense, chewy, fleshy, and full-bodied, this beauty will be drinkable in 3-4 years, and should keep for 15-20.

Dark, narrow rimmed red; sweetly ripe fruit in an early bouquet; nicely balanced, elegant, fresh, medium full St Julien with a nice concentration of fruit, and a firm but fine tannin; crisply ripe, with a marked gravel minerality, nice length of flavour and good fruit persistence. Its texture really needs food, cheese, but this is a very satisfying, more solid style St Julien. Sweet, sappy, flavoury. Now – 25+

88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Ferrous and mineral on the nose, with fruit that seems decidedly staid on the palate. Lots of deposit too, incidentally. It's a good second wine, which shouldn't be hugely expensive, but probably is. Sigh. (RH)

Tasted blind. Dark purplish crimson. Straightforward and a bit austere. Lots of acidity – and tannin. (JR)