96 Points | International Wine Cellar , May/June 2007

($250; 59% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 13% cab franc and 6% petit verdot) Opaque ruby. Flamboyant aromas of black fruits, licorice, smoke, crushed stone, black tea, lavender and wild sage. Sweet, lush and densely packed, with the wild character following through in the mouth. This comes across as a bit less oaky than the estate's other cabernet-based wines, which are aged entirely in Taransaud barrels (this one is about three-quarters Taransaud). The higher percentage of franc here adds freshness, as well as notes of black tea and rustic herbs. Energetic and firmly built, but quite backward in the context of the vintage. Still, there's terrific fruit here; in comparison, the Cariad seems less sweet today.

98 Points | Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate