Having recently passed its 10th birthday, the 2015 Monte Bello has lived up to the promise of its early days. It contains 11% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc and offers earth-forward aromas of dried mahogany, dark chocolate, brick dust and dried herbs. Supple and elegantly generous on the palate, its structure has started to soften, but fine-grained tannins are still apparent on the saturated, chewy finish. Squarely in the first phase of a proper drinking window, it is ready to be checked in on but clearly has a long life ahead.

A blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. 100% destemmed but not crushed. Fermented with ambient yeasts. Spent 17 months in 97% American oak and 3% French oak (94% of which was new). Filtered before bottling. Aromas of wet earth, green herbs and a touch of coconut and liquorice. Flavours of cherry and green herbs are wrapped in a gauzy haze of fine-grained tannins and shot through with notes of dried flowers, a touch of gunsmoke and whisky barrel. The oak seems much better integrated in this vintage than in recent new releases, at least to my memory. Excellent acidity and gorgeous freshness make this quite appealing to drink even now, though we all know it will be so much better in a decade or more. (AY)

Black cherry and firm tannins, glossy and more than a little volatile. Finest tannic fur and loads of intensity. The fruit verges on candied, but is no less delicious for that. Even so, this hasn’t blown my socks off. (RH)