N: Attractive toast with distinct notes of mushrooms; undertones of lemons?

P: Med, poss Med Full, body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish oak/frt met by an ALMOST puckerish acidity which slowly, fairly seamlessly transitions into quite a LONG, VERY slightly toasty/honied/lemony finish. LOVELY now, this DESERVES into early '19 min, then drinking for 3 or 4 more easily. VERY nicely done! 87-90 pts Burghound & 85 Decanter World Wine Awards [This vendor's $57.95 is over 7% less than anyone else currently listed on wine-searcher.

N: Minerals & notes of flowers & lemony undertones

P: Med body; Very RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt NICELY balanced by an acidity which transitions into a LONG, lip-smackingly tangy/slightly honied finish. NICELY done for now & into '19. [This vendor's $13.95 is at the top of a LARGE wine-searcher group.]

14.7% ABV; Pahlmeyer Estate, Atlas Peak, & Wayfarer Estate Vyds; "...100% native yeast barrel fermentation followed by malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged in 85% new FR oak barrels for 11 mos on the lees, which were stirred weekly."

N: Buttery toast with earth way beneath?

P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish OAK/frt NICELY balanced by a very, VERY slight (yet almost swtish) bitterness which pretty much extends through the LONG, albeit very slightly faint, bitterswt finish. Decently done in the style, nonetheless I'd drink by the summer of '18 as I'm concerned re the (oaky?) bitterness taking over. [This vendor's $42.95 is VERY competitive!]

N: Smoke, berries, flowers, earth

P: Med body; LOVELY, almost swtish frt met by some very, VERY finely tannic (yet almost swtish) pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, beautifully BALANCED finish from which it's tough to parse any one element. Though approachable now, this DESERVES until '20 min, then undoubtedly drinking into its 10th yr. IMPRESSIVE, particularly with respect to its balance! 91-93 pts Burghound & 88-90 WA. This vendor's $114.95 appears to be VERY competitive.

N: Grapey, floral

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt met by a counterbalancing, very, VERY slightly bitter astringency which PRETTY much resolves by the LONG, very, VERY finely tannic/bitterswt finish. SHOULD benefit from another 9-15 mos, then drink nicely for the ff several yrs. NICE QPR, & this vendor's $19.95 is near the top of a CROWED wine-searcher field.

14.5% ABV; 60% CS, 30% Merlot, & 10% C.F.

N: Vanilla atop earth & cherries

P: MF, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt BEAUTIFULLY off-set by some very, VERY finely tannic PUCKER which slowly morphs into quite a LONG, very, VERY slightly tannic/puckerish finish with notes of bitterSWTNESS. NEEDS until '20, then drinking for a GOOD 5 yrs more. FABULOUS stuff! :) 98 pts WA, 96 Suckling, 94 Falstaff Magazine, 93 Luca Gardini, 92-95 Vinous, & Silver @ '16 Decanter World Wine Awards. [This vendor's $63.95 is @ the head of the wine-searcher class.]

N: Toasty vanilla; Intensity lurking?

P: MF body; Rndish entry with ALMOST swtish frt met by finely TANNIC pucker which only somewhat resolves by most of the LONG, finely tannic finish which ULTIMATELY show bitterSWT flavors. Still in NEED of significant time (until '21, I'm guessing), though IF the frt holds, AMAZING potential @ this vendor's $26.95. 91 pts Vinous, 89 WE @ $25, & 14.5/20 Vinum. 14% ABV

77% C.S., 9% C.F., 8% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot, & 1% Syrah; 14.8% ABV

N: Ripe, jammy, vanilla; Intensity lurking?

P: MF body; Ripe, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) with notes of dk choc, poss coffee, counterbalanced by some very, VERY finely tannic pucker which slowly, fairly seamlessly transitions into quite a LONG, tangy/swt finish with a VERY slight spiciness. Approachable now (certainly with food), this needs/DESERVES into '19, then POSSIBLY making its 10th yr (based upon the acidity). VERY nicely done in the style! :) 90 pts WE & Best of Class @ '17 S.F. Chronicle Wine Comp in the $35 - $38.99 class. [This vendor's $33.95 is in the upper 1/3 or so of wine'searcher's listings.]

N: Closed; vanilla; Intensity lurking

P: Med body; Rndish entry with LOVELY, ALMOST swtish frt met by a very, VERY finely tannic (yet ALMOST swtish) pucker which SLOWLY, fairly seamlessly transitions into a very LONG, at times very, VERY finely tannic, but ultimately bitter/SWT finish. A powerful yet ELEGANT style that NEEDS into, if not through, '20 to strut its stuff, then drinking through '25, I'd imagine. Very, VERY impressive! :) 96 pts ea WA & Vinous [This vendor's $114.95 is definitely competitive!]