Wine Spectator: Solid, if a touch chewy along the edges right now, as briar, cocoa and licorice snap notes are out in front of the core of pastis-soaked plum and blackberry fruit. There's lot...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: A major sleeper of the vintage, this blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is another "best ever" performance. Notes of tobacco leaf, hot rocks, sweet kirsch and ...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: Made from a similar blend, with slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon and less Merlot, the slightly austere 2008 exhibits black currant, herb and damp earth characteristics. Consum...

Wine Spectator: Lightly mulled plum and blackberry fruit is woven with singed wood spice and black tea leaf notes, while a roasted alder wood accent takes over on the finish. Needs to mellow ...

Wine Spectator: A ripe, fleshy style, with lots of fig and mulled blackberry and blueberry fruit. Good toast and ganache notes thread this together, with a muscular feel on the finish. An ove...

Wine Enthusiast: Focused and salinic, offering mild white-flower and peach aromas, this feels full, round, fleshy and balanced, with pithy citrus, peach and almond flavors that lead nicely to ...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2009 "South" Pinot Noir presents aromas of black cherries, red currants and freshly cracked black pepper with a hint of cloves. Medium bodied ...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Dark ruby. Deeply pitched dark berries and dried flowers on the nose, with a brighter red fruit quality emerging with air. Spicy raspberry and blackberry flavors coat the pala...

Wine Spectator: Rounded and ripe, with dark blackberry and boysenberry flavors melded with ganache, melted black licorice and Black Forest cake. Lush, but with a lovely smoldering charcoal hi...

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...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Light orange-pink. Musky, spice-accented aromas and flavors of redcurrant, cherry and rose pastille. Firm, even a bit ungiving, on entry, then fleshier in the mid-palate, wi...

About this Wine: The blend of grapes used is about 53 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 33 percent Merlot, 10 percent Cabernet Franc, and 4 percent Petit Verdot. 

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 Enthusiast: Smooth and unctuous in texture, this has dense black fruits that edge toward dryness from the tannins. Dark chocolate and licorice notes lend a bitter edge. Rich and modern in...

Wine Spectator: Coated with suave toast and packed with ripe linzer torte, boysenberry and blackberry fruit, this displays great drive and energy, with mouthwatering anise and graphite drivin...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2009 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Vieilles Vignes (60% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, and 10% Syrah) includes a much higher percentage of Mourvedre than most wines in this ar...

About this Wine: "a red fruity, spicy wine, a great complexity in aromas, well balanced between fruit and tannin, long at the palate, harmonious and fine."

Wine Spectator: Dense with both cherry and currant flavors and dusty tannins, this red is awkward now. There seems to be the requisite fruit to match its firm tannins, but needs time. Best fr...

James Suckling: Blueberries, raspberries, licorice, and flowers on the nose. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a racy and long finish. This is a wine, with form and finesse. Best ever fr...

Wine Spectator: A bright, lively, floral style, with lots of raspberry and cherry fruit. A floral edge hangs on through the long, licorice-filled finish. -J.M.