91+ Points | International Wine Cellar , November/December 2004

($55) Saturated ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry and smoked meat; initially a bit less urgent than the Cailloux and En Cerise. Thick, superripe and highly concentrated, with impressive volume and weight in the mouth. Began a bit monolithic and sullen, without quite the verve of the Cailloux or En Cerise, but grew fresher with extended aeration as its powerful underlying structure became apparent. Wonderfully layered wine, finishing chewy and very long, with plenty of oak but also noble tannins. This really calls for at least three or four years of patience and may well eventually be the best of these 2002s. From a portion of the Coccinelle Vineyard that yielded just 1.5 tons of fruit per acre in 2002. Christophe Baron told me he vinifies this "like a Verset Cornas: with a long cuvaison featuring lots of stems and whole clusters." The wine is aged in all "magic casks" from Dominique Laurent, 20% new. Like the regular release from Coccinelle, this will likely rate a higher score with bottle aging.

93 Points | Wine Spectator

90+ Points | Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate