3 | Wine | 95 or higher, 2007, 3 L

"I tasted the 2007 Flaccianello a number of times from barrel and tank before it was bottled. The 2007 is a bold, extroverted Flaccianello that sweeps across the palate with sensual layers of candied cherries, violets, spices and minerals. Dark, mentholated notes develop in the glass, adding further dimensions of inner sweetness, weight and complexity to this Tuscan thoroughbred. While so many 2007s are forward and open, Flaccianello remains muscular, taut and in need of significant cellaring. Still, the round, enveloping finish augurs extremely well for the future."

"The 2007 Terra di Lavoro emerges from the glass with an array of floral red fruit, spices, berries and minerals. It is an especially forward, opulent Terra di Lavoro bursting with exuberance. There is something viscerally thrilling about the 2007, perhaps because Terra di Lavoro is typically so reticent when it is young. Not here. This is an open, wonderfully expressive vintage. The only thing left to wonder is if the wine will ever shut down in bottle. For now, readers who want to understand what makes Terra di Lavoro such a pedigreed wine may want to start here. Readers who prefer a firmer style will likely gravitate towards the 2006 or 2008, but this is a flat-out great bottle of wine with an explosive personality that carries through to the long, intensely satisfying finish."

"No Hommage a Jacques Perrin was made in 2008, but the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is an utterly perfect wine. Composed of 60% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah, and the rest Counoise and Grenache, this prodigious effort boasts an inky/blue/purple color to the rim in addition to an exceptional bouquet of camphor, roasted meats, blueberries, black cherries, black currants, truffles, beef blood, pepper, and incense. The sumptuous aromatics are followed by a wine of compelling intensity, full-bodied power, perfect balance, laser-like focus, and a finish that lasts more than a minute. The 2007's texture reminds me of the 1998 Jacques Perrin, and the freshness of the fruit and explosive aromatics are to die for. There are only 500 cases of this legend in the making, but for those lucky enough to find any, it will last for 40-60 years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.