Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2006 Château Canon has a vivid, kirsch and wild strawberry bouquet with touches of orange zest and marmalade, a touch of mushroom in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with supple ripe black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, sage and melted tar. There is wonderful structure here, superb salinity, completely fulfilling the promise it demonstrated out of bottle. Perhaps yes, I was a little over-enthusiastic at that time, but after ten years it has foraged wonderful focus and vivacity. Seek this out. Tasted January 2016. (NM)

This was a strong performance (better than my original notes suggested) by the 2000 Talbot. Close to full maturity, it exhibits a dense ruby/plum/purple color in addition to a subtle herbaceousness intermixed with smoked meats, black currants, licorice, cedar, and foresty notes. Rich and full-bodied with light tannins, and a slightly richer, more savory, broader, deeper style than I remember, it should drink well for 10-15 years. (RP)

Now positioned as a totally separate vineyard and a real clos (enclosed walled vineyard), this blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from Jean-Hubert Delon is a beauty. Creme de cassis notes intermixed with some vanillin, crushed rock and spring flowers jump from the glass. Full-bodied and powerful (nearly 14% natural alcohol), this is a generously endowed, rich wine that was first made in 1902. Readers need to think of it as a true classified growth, although technically it is not. (RP) 

The superb second wine, the 2005 Clos du Marquis, reflects the utter brilliance of the 2005 grand vin. It boasts an inky/ruby/purple color along with a sweet perfume of lead pencil, ripe cherries and black currants, and hints of earth and vanillin. (RP)

The 1998 Pavie Decesse is medium to deep garnet-brick in color and explodes with fabulous plum pudding, prunes, blackberry preserves and blueberry pie notes with hints of smoked meats, garrigue, dusty soil, cast iron pan and star anise with dried roses and cinnamon stick wafts. Full-bodied, concentrated and packed with rich exotic spice and black fruit preserves layers, it has loads of mineral and meat sparks and a very, very long, layered finish. Incredible! For cellaring potential, I give it 20+ more years. (LPB)

Aromas of plums, raspberries and sweet spices introduce the 2021 Pavillon Rouge, a medium to full-bodied, velvety and vibrant wine that's impressively rich and mouthfilling, revealing a deep core of fruit framed by powdery tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, saline finish. The blend is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, and Philippe Bascaules observes that parcels planted 20 years ago and destined for the grand vin when they're a bit older are increasingly making the cut for Pavillon Rouge. - William Kelley

A blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot, the 2021 Ausone is a strong candidate for the title of wine of the vintage. Wafting from the glass with aromas of wild blueberries and raspberries mingled with rose petals, violets, exotic spices, vine smoke and blood orange, it's full-bodied, seamless and sensual, with a satiny attack that segues into a deep, layered mid-palate of breathtaking precision and intensity without weight.

Representing around 44% of the estate's production (more or less as usual), the 2021 Rauzan-Ségla unwinds in the glass with aromas of minty cassis, blackberries, loamy soil, dark chocolate and warm spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, it's layered and seamless, with a sweet core of fruit, powdery tannins, lively acids and an impressively penetrating finish. The Rauzan team opted to ferment Merlot rather cooler than normal this year to moderate extraction. Tasted six times. (WK)

The 2004 Barolo Lazzarito Vigna La Delizia offers up scents of tar, smoke, spices, plums, licorice and tobacco on a mid-weight frame. The wine offers plenty of length and complexity in a relatively accessible, harmonious style. With time in the glass pretty notes of roses emerge adding further complexity. (AG)

The Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso shows nice balance and elegance, and it definitely shows the deft hand of the winemaking team in what was not an easy vintage by any stretch. This pretty wine delivers lots of fresh cherry and wild rose, with ferrous earthy, licorice and grilled herb; I also get bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Like the annata 2017 Brunello produced by this estate, the single-vineyard Brunello Pianrosso is distinguished by a sweet cherry note (plus a hefty 15% alcohol) that accompanies the wine from start to finish.