The 2005 Idus is composed of 42% Carinena 20% Merlot 15% Garnacha 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah and spent 16 months in seasoned French oak. Dark garnet-colored it offers up a complex perfume of wood smoke tobacco mineral wild blueberry black cherry and black currant. This leads to a full-bodied opulent full-flavored wine with lots of extraction sweet ripe fruit well-concealed tannins and at least 6-8 years of aging potential. This lengthy gratifying effort should drink well through 2030. -Jay Miller

All three Vall Llach wines are stellar in 2005 and get Editors' Choice status. Idus is a big load that starts out sharp and toasty and then quickly settles into a saturated groove of black fruit licorice coffee and mocha. It's dark deep and ripe with slight mineral underpinnings. Carignan is the lead grape with Merlot Garnacha Cabernet and Syrah filling out the blend. M.S.