Wine Spectator: This has a solid frame, with graphite and roasted cedar holding the core of steeped plum and currant fruit together. A loam hint chimes in on the medium-weight finish. Drink n...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Bright red-ruby. Inky dark berries and a whiff of meat on the nose. Supple and broad on the palate, with harmonious acidity framing and lifting the smoky red fruit flavors. Of...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: A delicious blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and a whopping 20% Petit Verdot, this estate continues to over-perform its humble pedigree. The 2007 reveals dense, sm...

Wine Spectator: A bit compact, but still quite juicy, with briary black cherry, plum skin and sweet spice notes. Just a touch clamped on the finish, but should flesh out enough. -J.M.

Wine Spectator: Succulent, with plum, blackberry and licorice notes. This has a solid dose of toast, but should absorb that. -J.M.

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Bright, dark red. Redcurrant, tobacco and menthol on the nose. Broad, sweet and fairly full in the mouth, with a fine grain to the flavors of currant, tobacco, herbs and earth...

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: Black licorice and mineral on the nose. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a fruity finish. Balanced and silky. But turns just a tad chewy.

Wine Enthusiast: Concentrated, with a strongly tannic element that is balanced by ripe fruits. It makes for a well-structured, impressive wine that also has a fruity element. Age for 4-5 y...

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 has a good briary frame that adds vivacity to the core of loganberry and plum fruit, with a licorice snap edge enlivening the finish. Juicy and fun, with good stuffing on...

Wine Spectator: Dark and ripe, with a lush edge to the plum sauce and dark fig notes that's held in check by a charcoal frame. Bitter orange and Campari hints flash through the finish, with a...

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: A balanced and easy young wine, with cool, clean and minerally fruit character, firm tannins and a medium finish

Wine Spectator: Dense but fresh, with a saturated core of blackberry pāte de fruit, anise and plum sauce that races along with vibrant spice and graphite notes. The long finish shows cut and ...

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: Features firm chalk and charcoal notes along the edges, with a mix of crushed plum and red currant fruit at the core. The bright, fresh finish lets the minerality meld with th...