N: Fairly fragrant grass (poss even cat pee) with mineral undertones

P: MF , poss Med, body; Rndish entry with almost swtish frt met by ALMOST puckerish acidity which slowly, fairly seamlessly morphs into a VERY LONG, TANGY, yet DECIDEDLY honied finish. A VERY powerful style that DESERVES into early if not mid '18, then drinking into '21 min. The oomph of a relatively expensive Chard @ a fraction of the cost! BRAVO! :) 13.0% ABV. 90 pts & a Silver @ '17 Decanter World Wine Awards, and 89 WE @ $25. [IF still available, this vendor's $19.95 would be in the lower part of the top 1/2 of wine-searcher's mid-June 2018 listings.]

N: Slightly closed; Potentially attractive melange of toast/mushrooms/pineapples with notes of honey. VERY fragrant after 4 hrs in a small tasting glass!

P: MF, poss Med, body; Rndish entry with almost swtish frt met by balancing acidity, this morphing into a LONG, toasty/honied finish with a VERY slight bitterness on the very end. Tight now, but certainly there's potential for greatness IF there's frt enough for waiting into (& poss through) '19. 89 pts WS. [Tasted @ $47.95, which is likely out of stock. However, mid-June 2018's wine-searcher still show one source @ $70.]

From 25-26 yr old vines grown in Haardt sandstone; 13.0% ABV, 4.8 g/l R.S., & 7.9 g/l T.A.

N: Slightly closed; Attractive, but hard to ID (smoke/honey, poss slate?) aromas. (One experienced taster picked up citrus.)

P: Med, poss LM, body; Rndish entry with decent frt met by a powerful sense of acidity which pretty much extends through the VERY LONG, distinctly honied, very, VERY slightly bitter finish. VERY tight right now, I'm guessing this NEEDS into the next decade, & IF the frt holds... :) 95 pts ea WA & Suckling, but 15.5/20 Jancis Robinson. [Tasted @ a now unavailable $35.95. However, mid-June 2018's wine-searcher still shows 2 U.S. sources @ $50 & $66.]

100% S.B.; Napa Valley 40% & Sonoma Mountain 60%; FERMENTATION PROFILE: S/s barrels 60%, FR oak barrels 35% (new 15%), & Concrete “cuves” 5%

N: Fragrant toast with grass & distinct notes of forest floor; Lacks endurance?

P: MF, poss Med, body; Almost rndish entry with oak/frt met by balancing acidity which morphs into a LONG, tangy, VERY slightly honied finish. DESERVES into EARLY '18 (it's not quite together yet), then drinking into & through '20. A remarkably powerful, Chard-like style with respect to its potential food pairings. 96 pts Michael Apstein of winereviewonline @ $36, 94 ea Suckling & WE @ $38, & 92 Vinous. [IF still in stock, as of mid-June 2018 this vendor's $29.95 would be in the top 10% of wine-searcher's listings.]

N: VANILLA, with berries & earth underneath

P: Med body; Decent frt my by SOME mid-P astringency which SLOWLY, fairly seamlessly, morphs into a LONG, pleasant finish with the barest hint of bitterswt choc. DESERVES into early if not mid '18, then drinking for the following 2-4 yrs, I'm guessing. 95 pts Luca Gardini, 92 ea Jeannie Cho Lee, WA, & WS, and 91 ea Tanzer & WE @ $60! [Tasted @ a now unavailable $44.95 (!), mid-June 2018's wine-searcher still shows U.S. sources @ $66-$80.]

55% C.S., 30% Merlot, & 15% Petit Verdot; 30% new oak; 14% ABV

N: CLOSED; plums, toast, jammy notes?

P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with almost swtish frt quickly met by puckerish astringency which only somewhat resolves by the LONG, slightly puckery, ult bitterSWT choc finish. LOTS of stuffing here, but it NEEDS into '20, poss longer, then drinking into the end of the 2020s? 93 pts Jeff Leve, 92+ Jeb Dunnuck, 92 Suckling, 90-93 Vinous, 90-92 Wine, Words, & Videotape, 91 WS, 89-91 WA, 87 Jeannie Cho Lee, 17.5/20 Bettane et Desseauve, 17/20 Vinum, 16.5/20 Gault & Mileau, 16/20 Jancis Robinson, & 15.5/20 La Revue du Vin de France -- WHEW! ;) [This vendor's $34.95 puts it in the top 20% of wine-searcher's mid-June 2018 entries.]

50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, & 10% Mourvedre from 80 yr old vines grown in clay & limestone soils; Vinified for 21 days in temp controlled cement vats; Oak NOT mentioned

N: Slightly closed; Intriguingly RIPE plums with choc & smoky overtones? Garigue?

P: Med, poss MF, body; Almost swtish frt (& some heat?) met by PUCKERISH astringency which only somewhat resolves by the LONG, very slightly chocolatey finish with very, VERY slight bitterness. LOTS going on here, but NEEDS into at least mid '19, poss mid '20, I think, then a *super* QPR for drinking into '23 or so. 14.5% ABV. [Likely no longer available @ this vendor's $14.95, & the mid-June 2018 wine-searcher listings attached to this would APPEAR to be for the Reserve version.]

50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, & 20% Syrah from a single vyd on a plateau of red clay mixed with rocks @ the extreme north of CdP. Destemmed & fermented in s/s tanks, then aged for 16 mos, the Grenache in tanks, the rest in barriques.

N: Closed; Tough to parse, but berries with garigue? Intensity lurking?

P: Med, poss MF, body; NICE frt met by finely tannic astringency which slowly, fairly seamlessly only somewhat mitigates by the VERY LONG, finely tannic, VERY slightly tangy, finish with the barest trace of bitterness. Ample structure & SUBSTANCE to cellar into '21, then drinking well past the 10 yr pt. IMPRESSIVE! :) 94-96 pts WA, 94 ea Jeff Leve & Jeb Dunnuck, 91-93 Vinous (Raynolds), 4*/5 drinkrhone.com, and 16+ then 16/20 Jancis Robinson. [Tasted @ $57.95, this vendor most certainly being out of stock. However, as of mid-June 2018 wine-searcher shows various sources from $43-$73!]

Over 12 unique clones grown in Arroyo Seco gravelly & Chualar loam soils; Aged 9 mos in FR oak, 30% new, the rest 1 & 2 yr old barrels; 14.1% ABV, 6.10 g/l T.A., & 3.49 pH.

N: FRAGRANT notes of smoke & minerals, but lacking endurance?

P: Med, poss MF, body; Rndish entry with almost swtiosh frt met by some mid-P astringency which resolves by the LONG, pleasant, unlt bitterSWT finish. Needs/DESERVES cellaring from early to poss mid '18, then a potential steal for drinking into & probably through '20. 91 pts & "Good Value" Connoisseurs' Guide, 91 ea Vinous & Anthony Dias Blue, 90 ea Jeb Dunnuck & WE @ $35, and 89 WA. [Tasted @ $23.95, & while this vendor is likely now out, other mid-June 2018 wine-searcher vendors show it from $25-$32.]

Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.

N: Slightly closed, but SEEMS deep/rich (plums with notes of minerals?); Intensity lurking!

P: Med, poss MF, body; Rndish entry with NICE frt met by puckerish astringency which SEAMLESSLY, but only partially, resolves by the VERY LONG, exquisitely balanced, ULT pleasant finish. Approachable now with food, I'm guessing this DESERVES until '20, then drinking for MANY more given its power & BALANCE! A *fantastic* wine! :) [Likely out @ the vendor's *phenomenal* $41.95, several other mid-June 2018 wine-searcher sources still show it from $65-$85.]