Providence 2009

This 100% Merlot cuvee from Christian Moueix is an atypically masculine, full-bodied, muscular wine for Moueix. This opaque blue/purple wine displays notes of black cherries, truffles, damp earth and licorice. Full-bodied, very deep and powerful, it will need of 6-8 years of cellaring but should keep for 25-30 years. It has the potential to be the best Providence to date.

Offers fabulous aromas of crushed blackberry and blueberry, with lightly roasted coffee bean and black olive. Full-bodied, delivering polished, chewy tannins and a long, juicy finish. Rich and powerful. Blockbuster. Roasted fruit on this. Best ever from here?

Dark crimson. Another wine, like Hosanna, where the ripeness is extreme. Very sweet start. Big and inky and muscular. Pretty rude tannins on the finish. A bit of a big blusterer. A bit ungainly. Good for those who seek mass? A little bit of alcohol on the end. But solid true wine - not confected. Drink 2016-2030

Captivating, with Lapsang souchong tea and incense flavors up front, followed by creamy-textured plum and fig sauce, blackberry preserve and ganache notes, which sail through the long, smoky and creamy finish. Best from 2013 through 2030.-J.M.

This masculine-styled Pomerol exhibits notes of iron, earth, vitamins, black cherries, and blackberries. It is reminiscent of a Trotanoy in terms of personality and appellation character. Full-bodied and super-dense with a boatload of tannin as well as unbridled power, richness, and depth, this 2009 will require patience (5-7 years), but should last for three decades or more. (Tasted once.)