1 | Wine | 91 to 95 | Page 3

"Aromas of toasty oak, graphite, balsamic, incense, and black fruits are followed by a dense, powerful Tempranillo from the great 2009 vintage. Rich, savory, and pleasure bent, it is a great value."

"It reveals a deep ruby/purple color as well as copious notes of creme de cassis intermixed with hints of wood smoke and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, juicy, succulent and sensual, it should drink nicely for 3-4 years." -Robert Parker

"The nose is very pure, with honey, passion fruit and quince, whilst the palate demonstrates great freshness and vitality, zippy acidity, with real race towards the linear finish. This holds great promise for the future."

"The 2010 Chianti Classico is beautiful, pointed and articulate. Sweet red berries, anise, flowers, spices and licorice are some of the many notes that flow from this gorgeous Chianti. The freshness and vibrancy are pure 2010."

"Ripe but nicely focused, this white displays tangerine and nectarine notes along the edges, lending a racy hint to the peach and yellow apple fruit flavors. There's good cut on the finish."

"The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape is a traditional blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah and the rest Mourvedre and Cinsault from 50-year-old vines aged in a combination of concrete tanks, old wood foudres and small old barrels. It displays notes of charcuterie, roasted meats, garrigue, kirsch and black currants along with a full-bodied, seriously endowed, super-concentrated mouthfeel that builds like a skyscraper in the mouth. This cuvee possesses remarkable density and richness as well as the potential to last 20 years." -Robert Parker

"A big, thick, juicy, dense purple-colored effort, it reveals lots of blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with hints of camphor, licorice and spicy oak. This medium to full-bodied, luscious, fruity, crowd-pleaser should keep for 3-4 years."

"The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Marchese Antinori is a fleshy, radiant wine graced with expressive dark red fruit. This is a fairly plush style for this bottling, no doubt owing to the personality of the vintage...Tobacco, sweet herbs, licorice and dark red cherries leave a very positive, lasting impression."

"The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon flows from the glass with plums, black cherries, graphite, grilled herbs and smoke. This fleshy, up-front Cabernet Sauvignon shows fabulous overall balance and harmony in a style best enjoyed over the next decade or so."