Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf 1998

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A dramatic, flamboyant nose of roasted espresso intermixed with chocolate fudge, blackberries, Asian spices, and kirsch jumps from the glass of this ostentatious effort. Full-bodied and layered, with an unctuous texture, gorgeous purity, and an undeniable hedonistic explosion of fruit and glycerin, it can be drunk now, or cellared for 15+ years. To my taste, it is the finest Le Tertre-Roteboeuf since 1990. But watch out for the 2000!"

WINE SPECTATOR: "Aromas of plums, berries and meat, with hints of fresh herbs. Full-bodied, with loads of sweet fruit and round tannins. Long and juicy. Hard not to drink now.—´88/´98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2010."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "What the wine lacks for in the power department, it more than makes for it with a liberal dose of elegance, complexity and grace. The nose, with its blend of tobacco, black raspberry and truffle, the palate with its soft, silky charms, the finish with its lush, fresh, black raspberry essence is impossible not to like. Popped and poured, this is at peak. Drink it over the next decade or so."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Perfumed, even a little exotic and a hint of sweet brambly smoke like a waft of weed in the air (not uncommon in my part of London). Still has some fresh red fruit on the palate, immensely silky and complex. Some pepper and sweet decay (in an attractive way). Idiosyncratic Bordeaux but delicious."