Wine Spectator: This is tangy, with red currant, roasted mesquite, sanguine and tobacco notes. Already shows range and definition, with solid grip. -J.M.

Wine Spectator: This has very solid guts, with dark, almost brooding plum compote, currant paste and anise notes, followed by a hint of roasted juniper wood on the finish, which smolders nice...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: ($155) Bright, pale yellow. Restrained aromas of stone fruits, clove, nuts and minerals. Fruitier and sweeter in the mouth than the Clavoillon, with enticing harmonious acidit...

Wine Spectator: This is a step ahead of the pack, with concentration but gentle texture to the plum, cassis and linzer torte flavors, which are inlaid with black tea and singed fennel seed no...

Wine Spectator: Firm and taut, with dusky spice and freshly ground pepper nuances to the dark berry, currant and cherry aromas and flavors, lingering impressively on the chewy finish. Doesn't...

Wine Enthusiast: In its famous clear bottle, this is one of the best known prestige cuvées, and also the oldest, made first in 1876 for the Russian Tsars.This most recent vintage is a very fi...

Wine Spectator: The structure of the 1996 vintage is softened by a fine, silky mousse in this intensely wrought bubbly. Fresh, with citrus, berry, nut and coffee aromas and flavors and a roun...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Good bright, moderately saturated red. Knockout nose combines raspberry, spices and flowers; the most ethereal of these 2010s to this point. Juicy, pure and precise if youth...

Wine Spectator: Well-made in an elegant style. Clean, pure and focused; a lovely red packed with spices (nutmeg, cinnamon), coffee and plum. Smooth tannins, refined finish. Firm backbone will...

Wine Spectator: A dark, rich, enormously complex and concentrated wine, with plush black cherry and blackberry fruit that's beautifully balanced. Gains richness and surges on the finish, wher...

Wine Spectator: A delightfully rich, vibrant and complex wine that is aging very gracefully. The core flavors are well-focused and offer a mix of mature red currant, plum and floral scents, w...

Wine Spectator: Firmly tannic, dark in color, with lively, chewy tannins wrapped around a solid core of earthy currant, anise, mineral and sage flavors. Classic Montelena in its structure and...

Wine Spectator: Rather ripe, but nicely framed by singed apple wood, which keeps the core of damson plum, black currant and black cherry flavors at bay for now. Licorice root and black tea no...

Wine Spectator: Really packed, but amazingly supple and velvety in texture, with layer upon layer of black mission fig, crushed plum, freshly brewed espresso, worn saddle leather and iron not...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: (from Clone 4) Good full ruby. Pure aromas of cassis, redcurrant and minerals, lifted by a peppery nuance. Dense, fat and large-scaled but quite succulent, with a smoky ripene...

About this Wine: 70% Cabernet franc, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvgnon, 4% Petit Verdot

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2007 Barolo Riserva Vecchie Viti dei Capalot e delle Brunate (magnum) is another drop-dead gorgeous wine. The wine remains rather shy, revealing shades of its personality ...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: A real classic from Thunevin's 20 acres of vineyards is the 2010 Valandraud, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. A powerful wine showing even better from bottle than...

Wine Spectator: An extremely well-sculpted, modern wine, with an enormous core of plum sauce, blackberry coulis and cassis fruit to match the ambitious roasted apple wood-, black tea- and tob...

About this Wine: Made mostly from Merlot, this elegant wine displaying silky tannins has grown into a grand cru in its own right.