90-93 Points | International Wine Cellar , May/June 2011

(66 % cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot and 3% petit verdot; 3.75 pH; 89 IPT 89; 14% alcohol) Dark ruby-red. Deep, pure, perfumed aromas of black fruits, cured tobacco and black tea. Brawny and a bit chunky on the palate with a minty quality to the black fruit and flint flavors. Finishes with big, chewy tannins and a persistent note of cassis. Shows a creamy texture and plenty of palate weight but seems a little unrefined presently. This will need a good eight to ten years in the bottle to harmonize fully and should go on for another 20 after that. Incidentally, I sampled this wine three times and once it was vegetal and green; my guess is that it was the sample. The other two samples were superb, and are the basis for my score.

90+ Points | Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate