A very good wine from Cigales that opens with dark cherry, char and tar, minerality and rustic leather and herb aromas that aren’t 100% laboratory clean. The palate has snap and flavors of herbal berry and cherry, while the finish is drying and crisply tannic. A food-friendly wine that’s ready to drink.——M.S.(11/1/2010)—— 89

Cherry and raspberry aromas with a touch of oaky vanilla open it up. Yet the palate is juicy to the precipice of being sharp, with piercing red-fruit flavors. Citrus and red fruit keep the finish moving on and on. A lean wine from a tough vintage, but at least it’s not stewed or flat.——M.S.(6/1/2008)—— 85