Reviews

Deep ruby. Cherry-cola and oak spices on the deeply scented nose. Plush and appealingly sweet, offering spicy dark berry and cherry flavors and notes of candied rose and mocha. An open-knit, fruity pinot that exhibits good upfront appeal and finishes with gentle tannins and good cling.

Bright purple. Deeply pitched dark berry compote and licorice aromas are complemented by notes of dark chocolate and singed plum. Ripe and broad in the mouth, offering weighty black and blue fruit flavors that show a hint of espresso. Notes of vanilla and fig paste come up with air and carry through a long, clinging finish, which features soft tannins and a touch of heat. This big boy checks in at 15.5% alcohol. (JR)

Marked by deep, delicious flavors of chocolate, blueberries and blackberries, this is a lovely Cabernet to drink now. The tannins are firm, the finish long and spicy. Shows real Napa class.

Deep ruby. Redcurrant and cherry skin aromas show subtle spiciness and a touch of dried herbs. Bright and lively on the palate, offering tangy red fruit flavors and a touch of bitter chocolate. Displays a smoky note, with an echo of medicinal cherry and dusty tannins adding grip. In a taut style, with no easy sweetness or excess fat; I'd like a little more of both, actually.

(15.5% alcohol): Opaque ruby. Heady aromas of candied cherry and plum, with a smoky herbal overtone. Lush and open-knit, offering smooth dark fruit compote flavors that pick up a vanilla accent with air. Finishes on a warm note, with good breadth and lingering sweetness. I'd have liked a bit more vivacity but there's no denying this wine's opulence.

So rich and soft with chocolate, raspberry and vanilla flavors, this wine is better sipped by itself than with food. The alcohol level is enormously high, giving this Cabernet the headiness of a Port.

Deep ruby. Pungent dark berry and cherry-cola aromas and flavors, with a smoky note coming out with aeration. The smoky note carries through the modestly persistent finish, which shows a slightly bitter edge and a hint of licorice. I'd have liked more sweetness of fruit here.

A blast of ripe cherries, chocolate, brown sugar, roasted coconut and almond flavors. Merlot hardly gets richer than this.

(raised for 15 months in a combination of French and American oak; 15.5% alcohol): Opaque ruby. Ripe cherry and singed plum on the nose and in the mouth. Warm and supple in texture, with a note of finishing heat and soft tannins coming on late. Plenty rich but I wish that there were more vivacity here.

A discreet hint of wood only emerges after 30 minutes or so of air along with ripe and somewhat somber wild dark berry fruit aromas that display hints of spice and warm earth. There is good volume but also solid detail to the medium-bodied flavors that possess a suave and supple mouth feel before culminating in a delicious, focused and attractively intense finish. This is not an especially elegant Chambolle villages but there is good complexity and persistence.