Stephen Tanzer's IWC: (racked three days before my visit) Full ruby-red. Knockout nose melds black cherry, violet, licorice and brown spices; this is wild yet aristocratic in a Chambertin way. Dens...

Wine Spectator: Very pure, lacking the obvious punch of the vintage, with a floral note leading the way for a core of verbena, yellow apple, melon rind and green plum notes. The long, stone-t...

Wine Spectator: Beautifully defined, ripe, rich fruit, with tight, sharply focused, deeply concentrated currant, black cherry, plum and wild berry, picking up complex anise, pencil lead and c...

Wine Spectator: Impressive for its richness, depth and concentration, this is a tightly wound, well-focused Cabernet that exhibits a wonderful pure core of currant, black cherry and blackberr...

About this Wine: "Charming, forward and approachable despite its youth. Ripe berries, mocha, toasted malt, incense and jasmine on the nose and palate. The sweet, high-toned nose is followed by...

About this Wine: This cuvee is called Combe des Fous (Hill of Fools).  This cuvee is from a specific parcel on Crau that long ago was considered too difficult to work, but the Maurels' gr...

About this Wine: "Planted in the early 1930's, the vineyard is about 70 years old. This vineyard is planted with the old clones of Syrah (low yielding) on their own roots, dry grown and yields...

About this Wine: As I have written many times, all of these wines are produced from rigidly cultivated, bio-dynamically managed vineyards. That has been the rule since Michel Chapoutier fi...

Wine Spectator: Firm, rich and concentrated, with ample tannins wrapped around a core of earth, currant and black cherry fruit. With excellent balance and depth, it serves up lots of rich, co...

Wine Spectator: Got patience? You'll need it to wait this brute out fully. A chunk of tar sits between you and the core of black currant, hoisin sauce and roasted Black Mission fig fruit flav...

Wine Spectator: Got patience? You'll need it to wait this brute out fully. A chunk of tar sits between you and the core of black currant, hoisin sauce and roasted Black Mission fig fruit flav...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: (70% mourvedre and 10% each of grenache, counoise and syrah, all raised in foudre): Glass-staining purple. Hypnotic bouquet of black and blue fruits, potpourri and exotic sp...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: (70% mourvedre and 10% each of grenache, counoise and syrah, all raised in foudre): Glass-staining purple. Hypnotic bouquet of black and blue fruits, potpourri and exotic sp...

Wine Spectator: Dense and slightly chewy, this features girders of charcoal-coated grip running from start to finish, along with bay leaf, smoldering tobacco and warm tar. But don't be fooled...

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...

About this Wine: "Taylor's finest and rarest wine, the very pinnacle of port. Only in a year when everything is perfect does Taylor's `declare' a vintage. With the company's reputation at stak...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Bright yellow-gold. Captivating aromas of spicy apple pie, dried apricot, caramelized kumquat, marzipan and sexy botrytis on the very pure, penetrating nose. Extremely fresh...

Wine Enthusiast: Like liquid silk, it's so smooth and supple. Aromas of fresh mountain herbs pour forth from the glass along with the scents of cherry, cough drop and dried spices. Very light ...

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...

About this Wine: Nicolás Catena Zapata is made from a meticulous vine selection in the best lots of the Catena family's estate vineyards. These Zapata vines are carefully hand tended and...