Vinous - Score: 87+ (2005 January)

Good deep red. Riper aromas of black cherry, minerals, fresh herbs, licorice and pepper. Fuller in the mouth but still on the dry side, with mouthcoating peppery flavor and good body for the year. Considerably more backward than the Renaissance bottling. Finishes with dusty, slightly rustic tannins that call for three or four years of patience. Pierre-Marie says this was 12% potential alcohol, chaptalized to 12. 7%.