Bordeaux

R.P. 90 pts.

There is pleasant purity, and certainly, it is less herbaceous than many of its peers, with peppermint-tinged red cherry and cranberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a mixture of red and black fruit, quite caressing in texture, with a well balanced if not overly complex finish.

Exhibiting a dark ruby color with purple nuances, it is open-knit, with plentiful quantities of roasted herbs, smoky oak, vanillin, and creamy black currant fruit. A lush texture, low acidity, and an accessible, velvety-textured style will have many admirers.

R.P. 94 pts.

Dense ruby/purple in color with a glorious nose of melted licorice, lavender, barbecue smoke, black currants, and graphite, the wine is tannic, classically structured with an opaque ruby/purple color, beautiful definition, and a 1996-ish personality.

R.P. 93 pts.

This rich, impressive, full-bodied wine represents the finest Pontet-Canet produced since the 1961. This full-bodied, purely made wine is crammed with black currant fruit, as well as forbiddingly tannic and backward.

R.P. 91 pts.

A very strong, powerful wine with an opaque ruby/purple color and a tight but promising bouquet of black currants intermixed with iron, smoke, licorice, and dried herbs, this muscular, very masculine, brawny wine seems built for the long haul.

R.P. 93 pts.

Its opaque ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of graphite, barbecue smoke, blackberries and black currants. The full-bodied, textured 2008 Saint-Pierre reveals a skyscraper-like mouthfeel along with tremendous viscosity and unctuosity.

R.P. 88 pts.

A sumptuous, complex, Provencal-like bouquet of roasted herbs, cherries, licorice, and underbrush emerges from this dark plum/ruby-colored 2004. Tart acidity provides freshness, but the overall impression is of abundant currant and cherry fruit presented in a forward, superficial style.

The 2007 Talbot has a pleasant, classic nose of singed leather and game, a little muffled compared to its peers. But there is a sense of charm that I like, and it speaks of its appellation origin. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth texture. It lacks depth and grip but is nicely balanced with a cedar-tinged finish.