1 | Wine | Page 390

"Intensely spicy nose displays fresh blackberry, violet and cola, with a vanilla nuance gaining strength with air. Stains the palate with sweet, vaguely medicinal cherry and dark berry flavors, picking up spiciness and smokiness on the back half. Shows good clarity and intensity on the juicy, persistent finish. An outstanding value."

"Inky ruby. Oak-spiced blackberry and cherry on the nose, with complicating notes of licorice, vanilla and cola. Lush, sappy and open-knit, with sweet dark berry preserve and vanilla flavors lifted by gentle acidity. Closes on a sweet note, with lingering mocha and licorice notes. On the oaky side but there's a lot of rich, fleshy fruit here as well."

"Jammy and lively, this red exhibits raspberry and cinnamon aromas that follow through to youthful cherry and smoky pepper flavors, which are still coming together. Needs time."

"Spicy, deeply concentrated black raspberry and boysenberry on the nose, with seductive Asian spices, lavender and incense qualities emerging with air. Sappy red and dark berry preserve flavors are enlivened by juicy minerality and pick up exotic spice and floral notes on the back end".

"A firm, fresh red. ...with a smoky baseline and balanced flavors of black cherry, damson plum, violet, polished oak and spice. This is structured by bright acidity and chewy tannins that come to the fore on the finish."

"Pure and brambly showing fresh, up-front aromas of raspberry and plum, with flavors to match. There's a well-defined minerally essence to this, followed by a long finish of vanilla and cream, with hints of French roast."

"The 2008 Cheval Blanc (55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc) is a winner from this underrated, classic vintage. Notes of forest floor, Asian plum sauce, black currants, sweet cherries and spice are followed by a medium to full-bodied wine with deep fruit, admirable purity, and a long, textured finish. There is not a hard edge to this wine, and in all likelihood, it can be drunk now or cellared for two decades." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Sweet, and full of caramel and butterscotch flavors, without the complexity and length. A good introduction to Malmsey."

"A very powerful and rich Merlot-based red that delivers so much currant bush, tobacco and toasty oak character. Full and layered. Goes on for minutes on the palate."

"This is dense and still quite tight, with lots of lemon verbena, chamomile, quinine, green plum and mineral notes supported by superracy yet well-embedded acidity. The finish has rapier cut, with the quinine note reverberating."