About this Wine: Geographic location :...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2008, which was problematic from barrel tastings, has settled down beautifully, and showed very well on three separate occasions. Proprietor Michel Bortolussi has turned o...

Wine Spectator: Ripe, juicy and flattering, with delicious linzer torte, boysenberry and blackberry compote aromas and flavors, supported by solid grip and nice lingering anise and espresso o...

Wine Spectator: Dense, winey and energetic, but also supple and alluring, with steeped plum and boysenberry fruit inlaid with hints of singed anise, violet and warm stone. The tarry finish st...

Wine Enthusiast: This is big and solid wine, with firm tannins and juicy fruit. It shows spice and intense acidity followed by black-currant freshness.

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: Showy and densely layered, with lots of linzer torte, cassis, blackberry pāte de fruit and plum sauce flavors that march in unison, while a strong graphite spine rivets the fi...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: A terrific wine from proprietor Thierry Gaudrie, this wine, which has a similar blend to the La Vieille Cure (73% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon), ...

Wine Spectator: This is inviting, with delicious raspberry ganache, cherry reduction and sweet spice notes all pushed by racy licorice and toast. The slightly firm, muscular finish should str...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: This lighter-styled, but complex, finely tuned effort reveals notes of cedar, dried herbs, spice, smoke, sweet cherry and cur...

Wine Spectator: Features good density but remains tight, with dark currant, fig and blackberry fruit balled up by charcoal-tinged grip. Clove, ganache and espresso notes fill in on the finish...

Wine Spectator: Offers pure, driven plum, cassis and black cherry notes inlaid with graphite and roasted wood spice. Dense without being overextracted. Very sleek. Rock-solid.-J.M.

Wine Spectator: Focused blackberry, currant and cherry sauce flavors show notes of sweet tobacco and nicely roasted spice on the finish, with integrated grip.-J.M.

About this Wine: Purchased in 1998 from the daughter of the local blacksmith - hence the name - the initial vineyard was primarily based on a gravel outcrop, assembled over the generations wit...

Wine Spectator: Polished, this is coated with ambitious mocha-infused toast, but the core of plum and boysenberry is honest and the dense finish of loam and cocoa is integrated and long. Drin...

Wine Spectator: Polished and forward, with dense but approachable plum and boysenberry fruit studded with lots of sweet licorice. A well-roasted vanilla bean note glides through the finish. D...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2008 La Confession is a sleeper of the vintage. Super successful, this spicy wine exhibits some toasty oak and loads of licorice, espresso roast, blackberry and cassis. A ...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: I clearly underrated this wine from barrel. The finest wine made at this estate since 1982, this opaque black wine is a sleeper of the vintage, with oodles of blackberry fruit...

Wine Spectator: A ripe, plush, modern style, with a ganache note leading the way for crushed plum, blackberry and currant pāte de fruit notes. Lots of briar and anise on the finish lends a gr...

Wine Spectator: Offers a density and lushness that belies the appellation, with a full, polished structure and deep plum, blackberry paste and steeped black cherry fruit flavors. The long, an...