The wine displays oodles of strawberry jam intermixed with kirsch, dusty, loamy soil notes, garrigue, spice box and vanillin. It is full-bodied, opulent, very flamboyant and showy, with a hint of chalky minerality to add complexity and precision. It should drink well for up to 15 or more years. Showing far better than it did from barrel, this wine comes from a beautiful southwest-facing hillside slope near Angelus. With the 2009, Berliquet has turned out one of their best wines in many a year. Yields were only 21.5 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine is a final blend of 73% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon that tipped the scales at 14% natural alcohol under the guidance of Stephane Derenoncourt.

Great aromas of crushed blackberries and blueberries, follow through to a full body, with super silky tannins and a long, long finish. An absolute joy to taste. Best ever from here? Try in 2016.

This cuts a broad, creamy path, with lush blueberry fig and plum fruit all rolled together, backed by warm cocoa and anise notes. Toasty grip supports the finish, but there's enough exotic fruit here to soak that up, so this should give the hedonist crowd something to enjoy with moderate cellaring. Best from 2013 through 2022. 1,665 cases made. -JM

Pure fruit expression. Fine tannic texture. Long finish. Vineyard and terroir show. Drink 2015-2025. (16.5 points)