5 | Wine | Zinfandel, 91 or higher, 750 ml

"An excellent wine from a challenging vintage, with aromas of black cherry and spice opening to rich wild berry, mineral and toasty sage flavors that wrap around a concentrated core of acidity and tannins."

"A rich and jammy style, but with enough structure and balance to keep this vibrant. Aromas of cherry pie and pepper lead to zesty blackberry and licorice flavors."

"An intensely perfumed bouquet displays dark berry preserves, cherry-cola, vanilla and woodsmoke. Lush, palate-coating blackberry and boysenberry flavors are complicated by notes of licorice and candied violet. Shows very good intensity on the gently tannic finish, which clings with noteworthy tenacity."

"Ripe but well-structured. ...with wild berry and licorice aromas and rich, layered flavors of plum and smoked pepper that are balanced with a great backbone of acidity and tannins."

"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."

"Tightly wound yet richly structured, offering boysenberry and spiced anise aromas, with deep, crisp plum, dill and earthy mineral flavors that finish with big, ripe tannins."

"The 2010 Zinfandel is absolutely beautiful in this vintage. The cold growing season has given the wine an introspective quality that is hugely attractive. Layers of fruit gradually emerge from this racy yet reserved wine. The 2010 is graced with exquisite balance and class, with less in your face opulence than the 2009. This is a very promising wine."

"Glass-staining purple. High-pitched aromas of black raspberry, cherry-cola, allspice and lavender, with a smoky topnote. Offers an array of intense black and blue fruit flavor, along with a suave gingerbread nuance. Bright and spicy on the finish, which leaves a sweet floral pastille note behind. All of the fruit that would normally make up the Carlise Vineyard and Montafi Ranch bottlings was blended to make this wine." -Stephen Tanzer