90 Points | International Wine Cellar , January/February 2009

($57; petit verdot) Saturated bright ruby. Reduced, slightly grapey aromas of black fruits, licorice pastille and spicy, nutty oak; as primary as a ruby port. Suave in texture and highly concentrated, if a bit musclebound today. Still, the black fruit, licorice and mineral flavors are essentially sweet and pliant. As chewy as this is, it's not quite as deep as the '05 version and should evolve more quickly. With extended aeration, this became increasingly Napa-like, showing a medicinal bitter chocolate element. (William Harrison Imports, Manassas, VA; T. Edward Wines, New York, NY; Bottled Poetry Imports, Addison, TX)