Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Dark red. Very ripe aromas of plum, blueberry jam and licorice. Tactile, plush and slightly liqueur-like, but a saline quality and good limestone lift leaven the wine's sweetn...

Wine Spectator: Ripe and dense, with sleek linzer torte and boysenberry fruit supported by black tea, roasted mesquite and a long, graphite-filled finish. Mouthfilling and very tasty. Drink n...

Wine Enthusiast: It's the 100% Merlot that gives the alcohol and superripe fruit to this wine, redeemed by the acidity. Licorice and dark chocolate flavors go with the sweetest plums and spice...

Wine Spectator: Still a bit compact, with blueberry coulis, fig and blackberry paste notes tightly wound, backed by tangy black licorice, singed apple wood and tar on the finish, which featur...

Wine Spectator: A minerally red, with a rich, meaty aroma and firm flavors of dark currant, wild plum, sage, spice and mocha. Interesting notes of underbrush chime in as well. Needs time. Xin...

Wine Spectator: Solid, with a core of raspberry and steeped blackberry fruit inlaid with anise, apple wood and wood spice notes, all backed by a well-integrated graphite edge on the finish. D...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2010 Estate Selection seems even better, perhaps because it's had an extra year of bottle age. The silky tannins, sweet red and black fruits, and the big, perfumed nose of...

About this Wine: Syrah (40%) and Grenache (60%)
Average age of vines: 20 - 35 years old

Wine Spectator: This has overt spiced toast, anise and mocha notes to soak up, but there's a good core of black cherry and blueberry fruit that should be up to the task. Slightly rustic cedar...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: Dense ruby/purple, with an unctuously sweet kiss of blackberry jam intermixed with raspberries, cherries, licorice, incense and forest floor, the complex aromatics are followe...

Wine Enthusiast: This bottling has been variable over the decades, but this 2010 shows fine form, a good sign coming on the heels of the excellent 2009. It's richly oaked and flashy in pineapp...

Wine Spectator: Rich, dry and full-bodied, with loamy earth, dried berry, mineral, anise and black licorice flavors that run deep and persistent, layered and concentrated, ending with a long,...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The top of the line 2007 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo San Calisto flows across the palate with layers of blue and black fruit. Mineral notes appear later, adding balance and propor...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape has oodles of black raspberry and kirsch notes intermixed with roasted Provencal herbs, licorice, and spice box. Medium to full bodied, dense, and...

Wine Spectator: Beautiful clarity of fruit here, with licorice, blackberry and currant. Full and silky, long and racy. Dig it. Best ever baby. 91-94 -JS

About this Wine: Land: A plateau of limestone; bordering slopes with chalk and clay soils....

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: From the bottle, the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape has lived up to its pre-bottle form. Composed of 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah and the rest Mourvedre, Cinsault and other varietals, it...

About this Wine: Land: A plateau of limestone; bordering slopes with chalk and clay soils....

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: ($35) Deep red. Pungent, mineral-driven aromas of raspberry, blackcurrant, potpourri and cured meat. Sweet and supple on the palate, offering vivid red and dark berry flavors,...

About this Wine: Soil: clay and chalk, with characteristically rounded, huge stones.

Blend: Grenache is the dominant grape, followed by Syrah and Cinsault.