Wine Spectator: Wow. Beautiful nose of crushed blackberries, with coffee bean and light mint. Full-bodied, with a lovely core of ripe fruit and polished, velvety tannins. 56 percent Cabernet ...

Wine Spectator: Juicy, with green plum and pear notes that are slightly shy at first, but emerge more on the finish, along with enticing straw and blanched almond hints. Solid length. Let thi...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: (merlot with some cabernet franc): Bright ruby-red. Lively, slightly medicinal aromas of cassis, blackberry, licorice and flowers. Supple, sweet and nicely concentrated, wi...

Wine Spectator: Aromas of mineral, blackberry and licorice lead to a full body, with lots of racy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. There's plenty of character, with a polished, refined s...

About this Wine: Grape varieties:  90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc....

Wine Spectator: Vibrant, with a racy, well-stitched core of damson plum, raspberry and blackberry fruit supported by fruitcake and graphite notes. Displays range and energy. Solid. — J.M.

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

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 ...

Wine Spectator: Starts slow but picks up steam in a hurry, with toasted anise, plum cake and fig notes which are darker and richer in profile than most Pomerols in 2011. Nice fleshy feel thro...

Wine Spectator: Lime and lemon aromas and flavors, with a thick and powerful palate. Seems more like a red wine in texture. Dense and rich. -JS

Wine Spectator: This delivers very forward plum and blueberry flavors, with a gentle kiss of toasty vanilla on the finish. A whiff of black tea flitters through. Drink now through 2019. -JM

Wine Spectator: A fresh and fruity wine, with blackberry and cherry character, medium body and a clean finish. Pretty and delicious. Second wine of Cheval-Blanc. Drink now through 2006. (JS)

Wine Spectator: This expressive red delivers floral, vanilla, red berry and licorice aromas and flavors that are bright and focused. Offers firm tannins and fresh acidity. Vivid and long, in ...

Wine Spectator: Dark, but with solid drive all along the way, as dark boysenberry, linzer torte and blackberry fruit courses along, held together by a prominent graphite spine. Long finish is...

Wine Spectator: Lots of bouncy acidity here, with a nice range of blue and black fruits and and mouthwatering pain d'épices note on the toasted finish.-J.M.

Wine Spectator: Ripe, slightly hefty style, with plum skin and macerated cherry and currant fruit backed by a well-toasted finish. Verges on over-extracted but has enough lift to keep it hone...

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...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: (a 65/35 blend of merlot and cabernet franc): Bright medium ruby. Blackberry, cassis, bitter chocolate and espresso on the nose, with cabernet franc notes of violet and lico...

Wine Spectator: This solid red has a nice fleshy edge to its red and black currant fruit, laced with hints of coffee, maduro tobacco and iron. The finish firms up as the toast takes over. Dri...

Wine Spectator: Lush and open, with lots of velvety plum coulis, blackberry paste and dark cherry notes, and ample anise and graphite on the finish. Rich, but sleek too.-J.M.