Ryan Moses: Inky core with a thin ruby rim. Mostly merlot with a dollop of cab franc. Intense dark, baked fruits, vanilla, and clove aromas. Really inviting and richly decadent flavors of...

Wine Spectator: A fresh, lively style, with a hint of anise on the edges of the sappy damson plum and cherry pit notes. A mix of currant and pomegranate are backed by briar on the finish. Thi...

Wine Spectator: A blockbuster wine for this appellation, with masses of fruit and velvety tannins, toasty oak and chocolate. 75 percent Merlot, 25 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Caberne...

Wine Spectator: Berry and fresh herbs on the nose. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins and a medium finish. Straightforward.

James Suckling: Blueberry and floral aromas follow through to a full body, with superfine tannins and a long, flavorful finish. But very refined and subtle. Love the texture.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: Another sleeper of the vintage, the opaque ruby/purple-tinged 2009 l'Estang exhibits lots of sweet black currant and black cherry fruit intermixed with a hint of vanillin. Med...

Wine Spectator: Full-bodied, with plenty of ripe fruit, toasted oak and spices. Long and caressing. A relatively new estate to watch.

Wine Spectator: This muscular red shows roasted plum, beefy and earthy flavors on a broad frame. There's good concentration, and enough acidity to keep the finish fresh. Drink now through 201...

About this Wine: Surface of the exploitation:    30 ha
Density of plantation:    5500 vines/ hectare
Average Age of the stocks:    27-30 year...

Wine Spectator: Fab nose. Licorice and dark cherries. What a palate. Full body, with super silky tannins and a long, long finish. Seductive juice, polished and gorgeous. This is next to Tertr...

Wine Spectator: A ripe, fleshy, smoky style, with lots of fig and plum fruit pushed by roasted tobacco leaf and warm bittersweet cocoa notes. The finish lets ganache and linzer torte hang on ...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: Showing a little more tannic than it was prior to bottling, this blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc is one of the consistently well-made over-ac...

Wine Spectator: Ripe but very well-focused, with a lovely singed vanilla bean note guiding the delicious plum sauce, blackberry and cassis fruit. The long, pure, polished finish shows nicely ...

Wine Spectator: This isn't shy, with well-toasted spice, mocha and ripe blueberry aromas and flavors leading the way, followed by singed vanilla, sweet plum and fig pate de fruit notes and a ...

Wine Spectator: Ripe and dense, this delicious red offers a lovely creamy mouthfeel to its crushed plum, blackberry and anise flavors, carried by long, velvety tannins. Lovely spice and toast...

Wine Spectator: This has nice sappy kirsch and blackberry fruit, with a lively tobacco edge and a tarry hint on the finish. Drink now through 2015. -JM

Wine Spectator: Shows the ripe, fleshy, polished profile of the vintage, with mouthfilling plum, blackberry paste and fig fruit flavors caressed by subtle cocoa and tobacco shadings on the fi...

Wine Spectator: Excellent concentration of fruit here, with crushed blackberries. Full and juicy, with medium chewy tannins and a fresh finish. Impressive. Best ever from here.

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

Wine Spectator: Bright, ripe and forward, with very friendly raspberry, cherry preserves and cassis fruit flavors that glide along polished tannins. Shows solid concentration, but approachabl...