Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme (Haut-Médoc) 1996: Good, richly coloured red wine. Very young nose, loaded with toasted marshmallow oak aromas. Creamily textured palate apparent on entry, with layers of cassis fruit and new oak though the midpalate. Tannic. Maintains its attractive texture through to the big, spicy finish. Although approachable now, this wine will continue to improve for a few years. 16+/20

Chateau du Tertre (Margaux) 1996: Delicious looking, glossy sheen to this wine. A serious, stylish nose, with notes of graphite. Slightly hard and austere tannins on the palate, but these underpin a luscious, creamily textured body of fruit. Good acidity completes the picture. Should age nicely. 17+/20

Chateau Poujeaux (Moulis) 1996: A fantastic colour, unsurprisingly leading to a quite open nose laden with ripe blackcurrant fruit. Likewise the palate is loaded with fruit, with a good balance of acidity and ripe tannins for structure. More forward than other wines in this line-up. 17+/20

Chateau Duhart-Milon (Pauillac) 1996: Lovely colour. Somewhat hard and austere on the nose. Minerals, wet stones, ink and notes of violets sit with some crunchy fruit. Very balanced on the palate, and quite an elegant stance for such a young wine. Lots of stony, blackcurrant fruit, ripe tannins and correct acidity. Give it another five years. 17+/20

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1996: Again a young, rich, red-purple hue. A little more approachable on the nose, with the blackcurrant fruit sitting alongside notes of curry spices. A fat, round yet elegant and stylish palate. Mineral fruit, with good balance and underlying structure. Clean finish. 18+/20

Chateau Calon-Ségur (St-Estèphe) 1996: Gorgeous colour. Fresh coffee grounds on the nose, with some rich, inky fruit. Fat and richly textured on the palate, which is loaded with fruit. Another wine with a delicious mineral and stone edge to the luscious fruit. A very nicely crafted wine. 17.5+/20