85-88 Points | International Wine Cellar , May/June 2008

(a 62/38 blend of merlot and cabernet franc) Good deep ruby-red. Blackberry, bitter chocolate and mint on the nose, lifted by black pepper and fresh herbs and complicated by a whiff of woodsmoke. Juicy and moderately dense, with good energy but modest flesh to the black fruit flavors. Finishes with firm, slightly drying tannins and a note of licorice. This second wine contains the third picking of merlot, which Guinaudeau admits was not quite ripe enough.