Some might regard my score for the 1999 as a bit mean, but this is a vintage that I find too ostentatious. It has a voluminous, brazen bouquet with saturated small dark cherries, dark plum and a touch of iodine – but for me, it seems to lack some class. The palate is very concentrated with thickset tannins, layers of glossy dark cherry and strawberry fruit that coat the plush tannic backbone. However, the finish is too sweet and consequently it does not entice another sip like the 1996, as if the wine is trying too hard to impress. In fact, although you could argue that analytically it is better than the 2000, it is the millennial wine I would choose to drink. Drink 2014-2025. Tasted September 2013.