1 | Wine | United States, 91 to 95, 375 ml

"Peaches, tropical fruits, honey, and botrytis aromas. ...lead to a viscous, vibrant wine with superb natural acidity that frames the fruit brilliantly. This wine is all about pleasure; how long it will last is difficult to say but there is no rational reason to defer your gratification. By the way, it is also an outstanding value in sweet dessert wine."

"The 2011 Geyserville impresses for its silkiness and texture. Sweet dark berries, flowers and mint are some of the notes that take shape in the glass. The 2011 is a decidedly mid-weight, feminine style of Geyserville. Floral notes reappear on the finish, adding lift and vibrancy. The 2011 should drink well upon release and also age. To make the 2011, Ridge was especially selective and fewer parcels made it into the blend than normal, especially with the Petite Sirah."

"The color is an inky/purple and the wine shows lots of cassis, blueberry, graphite and floral notes, good acidity, stunning concentration and purity, and a long finish. Another great success for Phelps, the 2007 and 2008 Insignias may be the best back-to-back vintages they have produced since 1995 and 1994." 95-97 pts, reviewed by Robert Parker.

"The 2010 Lytton Springs possesses striking aromatics that meld into sweet dark plums and black cherries. The Lytton Springs shows more minerality and verve than the Geyserville, and appears to have handled the heat spikes of the year quite a bit better."

"Bright red. Sexy aromas of black raspberry, cinnamon, minerals and potpourri; smells like there are stems here but Kathy Joseph says no. Precise and vibrant on the palate, with good nervy cut to its intense flavors of candied red berries and spicecake. Still youthfully taut and bound-up but shows excellent potential. Turns more floral with air, finishing with tangy grip and a lingering hint of Asian spices. This pinot shows impressive vivacity for its warm vintage."

"From the Oakville estate of Plumpjack...the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate has a gorgeous nose of creme de cassis, licorice, and graphite. Flawlessly put together, with delicate tannins, full body, but elegance combined with power, this impressively pure, layered, multi-dimensional Cabernet Sauvignon is already drinkable." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Light on its feet and intense in flavor, offering tea leaf-accented cherry and pomegranate flavors, with nicely buffed tannins. Finishes with richness and deftness."

This wine was named #94 of Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2012.

"Taut and structured, with cedar-laced currant, dark berry and dried berry notes joining a mix of minerally fresh earth and tobacco flavors, offering a wide range of tight-knit fruit overall. Firmly tannic on the finish, yet the ripe purity pushes through. True to form Monte Bello in a classic style."

"Saturated medium ruby. Complex aromas of cassis, dark chocolate, licorice, minerals and spicy oak, plus a hint of game. Pliant and layered on the palate, with an insidious penetrating quality to the seamless cassis, game, mineral and licorice flavors. A floral element gives lift to this primary but varietally expressive wine. Finishes long and suave, with fine tannins. Delicious now but capable of aging for a decade or more. A terrific vintage for this bottling."

"A delicious entry-level wine, the 2010 Merlot is rich, boisterous and loaded with fruit. Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, mint and spices all make an appearance in this flashy, exuberant red. The vibrancy of the vintage works to balance some of the wine’s natural overtness. Clean, saline notes add an attractive briskness to the finish. This is a gorgeous wine that makes a compelling case for Merlot-based wines in Napa Valley."