An iconic wine, reminding me of the halcyon era of Parker in the US when working as a sommelier in NY. A different era! I wondered, before tasting, if the wine had taken a turn toward freshness and poise. Sourced from low-yielding 50-130yo vines, the result boasts more reductive tension than in times of yore, following substantial time on lees amidst 16 months in 100% new hogsheads, largely French. The nose, all camphor, terrine, licorice all sorts, anise and soused plum, is currently enmeshed in a carapace of oak tannins. This said, time will unleash the fruit, allowing the whole to become far more than the sum of its nascent parts. Patience!