Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2009 Rasteau Vieilles Vignes shows more powerful, masculinity, earthiness in a more rustic, rough-and-tumble style that will take several years to calm down in bottle, but...

About this Wine: Tenuta Sette Ponti's first release was the 1998 vintage Crognolo, named after a wild bush, Cornus, which grows on the estate. The blend of Sangiovese and Merlot from vines...

Wine Spectator: A roasted mesquite frame lends a grippy edge to the notes of steeped plum, anise and blackberry in this dark red, which is juicy and edgy at the same time, with spice and chal...

Wine Spectator: This is quite ripe, with almost flashy plum, raspberry and boysenberry flavors, but they stay focused and driven, with mouthwatering anise and apple wood notes that cut throug...

Wine Spectator: Solidly built, with notes of singed vanilla bean and a flicker of espresso framing the core of plum, red currant and steeped cherry fruit. Toasty but sleek, with a perfumy edg...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: Attractive notes of cedarwood, unsmoked cigar tobacco, red and black currants and loamy soil characterize this surprisingly soft, round, medium-bodied Lanessan. Although not t...

About this Wine: Land: A plateau of limestone; bordering slopes with chalk and clay soils....

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...

Wine Spectator: A taut, tangy style, with damson plum, bitter cherry, iron and rosemary notes. Still quite tight, but with good mouthwatering cut on the finish. Should flesh out nicely. -J.M.

Wine Spectator: Plump and enticing, with a mouthwatering anise note that pulls you in quickly before delivering waves of blueberry, açaí berry and plum fruit, followed by bouncy spice and flo...

Wine Spectator: Dark and winey, with a core of steeped blackberry, plum coulis and anise flavors that pump along, just bracing enough from the slightly taut charcoal frame. Long and sleek thr...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2010 Haut-Brisson displays a sweeter, more forward and evolved personality compared to the Reserve, with less oak but lots of fleshy black currant and kirsch-like fruit in...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The outrageously delicious 2009 Cotes du Ventoux Nadal (50% tank-aged Grenache from 70-year-old vines, 40% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre, both aged in barrel) boasts a dense purple ...

About this Wine: Soil type: Quaternary stony soil with deposits.
Parcels located on the lower terraced lands of the
Gigondas Appellation. Parcels located on the Plan de Dieu Appelation,...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Bright ruby-red. Black fruits and licorice on the nose; a bit inkier and less expressive than the basic Clos des Andes. Then denser and deeper but less pliant in the mouth, wi...

Wine Spectator: This is quite ripe, with a big core of linzer torte, cassis and blackberry fruit, but well-supported by graphite and melted licorice notes. Offers ample breadth and depth, wit...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: A big, sweet, ripe nose of raspberry jam interwoven with white flowers, blueberries, kirsch and some subtle oak and camphor is followed by an intensely concentrated yet silky ...

Wine Spectator: Blueberry and spices, with hints of coffee bean. Medium- to full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Could use a little more concentration center palate

Wine Spectator: Tar and ripe berry aromas follow through to a full body, with juicy fruit and a long finish. Polished and deep.

Wine Spectator: Currant bush, with crushed berries on the nose that follow through to a full body. Chewy tannins are a little extracted, but finishes juicy. Score range: 89-92 -JS