Score: 90 points Price: $20.00
Shows the solid, juicy profile of the vintage, with a grippy edge to the mouthfilling blackberry, black cherry and mulled currant fruit. Roasted herb, tobacco and singed cedar notes fill out the finish, with the grip for cellaring. Best from 2013 through 2021. 3,000 cases made. –JM
32. CHÂTEAU LA ROCHE BEAULIEU Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux Aster 2010
Score: 90 points Price: $20.00
This delivers a juicy range of blackberry, raspberry and black cherry fruit, laced with toasted spice and black tea. Shows nice drive on the finish, with well-embedded acidity. Drink now through 2014. 2,000 cases made. –JM
33. CHÂTEAU MOULIN PEY-LABRIE Canon-Fronsac 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $20.00
This is distinctive, with a tangy note of roasted mesquite weaving through the melted licorice snap and dark fig notes, all backed by sweet tapenade and smoldering tobacco leaf on the finish. Offers muscle and drive. Best from 2013 through 2020. –JM
34. ETS. THUNEVIN Bordeaux Mauvais Garçon 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $20.00
Deliciously ripe and inviting, with a mix of blueberry, fig and plum fruit that bounces along, supported by light toast and tobacco shadings. Fruit and spice meld nicely on the lively finish, where a nice streak of chalk is well-embedded. Drink now through 2017. 5,830 cases made. –JM
35. FRÉDÉRIC MABILEAU St.-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Les Rouillères 2010
Score: 90 points Price: $20.00
This has a grippy edge, with pepper and tobacco leaf notes running alongside the core of kirsch and blackberry fruit. A mineral hint hangs on the finish. Drink now through 2015. 250 cases imported. –JM
36. LES VIGNERONS D'ESTEZARGUES Côtes du Rhône-Villages Signargues Clos d'Alzan 2010
Score: 90 points Price: $20.00
This has the dark, ripe fruit of the vintage, with fig, plum and blackberry, but there's also distinctive black tea, espresso and shiso leaf notes all gliding through the lengthy finish, adding extra dimension. Drink now through 2014. 1,000 cases made. –JM
37. PIERRE-HENRI MOREL Côtes du Rhône-Villages Signargues 2010
Score: 90 points Price: $20.00
A very stylish red, this displays dark plum and black cherry fruit melded perfectly with black tea and melted licorice notes. Stays silky and refined through the iron-tinged finish. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2014. 7,000 cases made. –JM
38. CHÂTEAU DE GALIFAY Grenache-Syrah Côtes du Rhône-Villages Cairanne 2010
Score: 90 points Price: $21.00
This has cut and purity, featuring captivating notes of anise, blueberry compote and fig sauce, all layered with sweet spice and toasted apple wood flavors. The racy finish hangs on nicely. Drink now through 2014. 2,500 cases made. –JM
39. DOMAINE LE COUROULU Vacqueyras Cuvée Classique 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $21.00
Ripe and fleshy, delivering a lovely velvety feel to the crushed plum, braised fig and steeped red and black currant fruit notes, all backed by roasted mesquite and tobacco flavors. This is broad, but well-defined, too. Rock-solid. Drink now through 2015. 700 cases imported. –JM
40. CHÂTEAU DE LA HUSTE Fronsac 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $22.00
Subtle tobacco and roasted mesquite notes lead the way, followed by mulled plum and fig fruit and a fleshy but stylish finish that lets the fruit stretch out nicely. Drink now through 2020. –JM
41. DOMAINE LA VITALIS Côtes du Rhône-Villages Cairanne 2010
Score: 90 points Price: $22.00
Plenty ripe, with a nice core of anise, plum and boysenberry unfurled now, but showing latent grip and hints of cocoa and espresso waiting to emerge more on the finish after brief cellaring. Drink now through 2013. 1,000 cases made. –JM
42. LOUIS JADOT Morgon Château des Jacques 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $22.00
Rich flavors of blackberry pie, apple compote and cherry preserves are accented by anise, nutmeg and vanilla. Bright acidity keeps it fresh, while light tannins frame this balanced red. Drink now through 2015. 2,000 cases imported. –AN
43. CHÂTEAU DE LA RIVIÈRE Fronsac 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $23.00
An eye-catcher, with lovely ripe, pure boysenberry, blackberry and plum fruit that is melded already and glides along creamy, integrated structure. The long finish picks up licorice snap and sweet tobacco notes. This should develop nicely over the next decade. Best from 2013 through 2023. 11,250 cases made. –JM
44. DOMAINE FOND CROZE Côtes du Rhône-Villages Cuvée Romanaise 2010
Score: 90 points Price: $23.00
Racy and defined, this red offers graphite notes that run from start to finish, along with lots of steeped blackberry and black currant fruit. A roasted apple wood edge marks the finish. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2014. 400 cases made. –JM
45. PHILIPPE COLIN Chassagne-Montrachet Red Les Chênes 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $23.00
Blackberry and raspberry flavors are juicy and vibrant in this red, thanks to the lively structure. Firm yet beautifully balanced, with a lacy, lingering aftertaste of berry and spice. Best from 2013 through 2020. 0100 cases imported. –BS
46. ADISSAT Lirac 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $24.00
This has ample toast, but it's well integrated, showing lush fig and boysenberry fruit at the core, with lots of graphite and espresso pumping through the finish. Ambitious and pulls it off. Mourvédre and Grenache. Drink now through 2015. 750 cases made. –JM
47. CHÂTEAU DE SEGUIN Bordeaux Supérieur Cuvée Carl Cru Exceptionnel 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $24.00
Ambitious, with warm cocoa and freshly brewed coffee aromas leading the way for a plush-textured core of blackberry compote and plum sauce. Rich and rounded through the toasty finish, with a nice touch of mesquite. Drink now through 2013. 1,200 cases made. –JM
48. DOMAINE LES APHILLANTHES Côtes du Rhône-Villages Le Cros 2010
Score: 90 points Price: $24.00
A ripe, fleshy, enticing style, delivering a flattering, almost creamy mouthfeel to the raspberry, plum and boysenberry fruit flavors. The finish picks up anise and apple wood notes, which keep this driving along nicely. Drink now through 2013. 100 cases imported. –JM
49. CAVE DES VIGNERONS DE BUXY Mercurey Buissonnier 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
Enticing aromas and flavors of raspberry, burning vine cuttings, underbrush and mineral mark this delicate red. Starts out supple, with fine tannins emerging on the finish. A smoky aftertaste lingers. Best from 2014 through 2022. 500 cases imported. –BS
50. CHÂTEAU CANTELYS Pessac-Léognan 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
This has good flesh, with a lilac note giving way to dark mulled plum and linzer torte flavors, studded with black tea and roasted spice hints. Shows nice drive on the finish. Best from 2013 through 2021. 1,665 cases made. –JM
51. CHÂTEAU DE CRUZEAU Pessac-Léognan 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
Very racy, with a sanguine frame to the delicious core of red currant, damson plum and linzer torte notes. Long, with tar and juniper lingering through the finish. Drink now through 2018. 11,500 cases made. –JM
52. CHÂTEAU FÉRET-LAMBERT Bordeaux Supérieur 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
This is ripe and polished, with sleek cassis and blackberry fruit framed with toasty mocha and espresso hints, but also nicely grounded in terroir, with a tug of roasted earth and tobacco on the finish. Drink now through 2015. 5,000 cases made. –JM
53. CHÂTEAU HAUT-MAURAC Médoc 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
Polished and focused, with currant and mocha flavors mingling over firm, well-integrated tannins in this sleek, firm red. Anise, mineral and espresso notes add interest. The herb-scented finish is fresh and clean. 7,500 cases made. –TM
54. CHÂTEAU LA CLARE Médoc 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
Very lively, with a bouncy, pebbly undertow to the raspberry, plum and cassis core of fruit. Sweet spice notes, with hints of savory herb and rosemary, fill out the finish. Distinctive. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot. Best from 2012 through 2018. 4,165 cases made. –JM
55. CHÂTEAU PREUILLAC Médoc 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
Ripe and fleshy, with a mix of dark plum and blackberry fruit laced with anise and fruitcake. A flash of tar lends a nice touch of grip to the finish. Very solid. Drink now through 2013. 9,415 cases made. –JM
56. CHÂTEAU SÉRILHAN St.-Estèphe 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
A fresh, bright style, with a red fruit profile of currant, cherry pit and pomegranate framed by a floral note. Medium-weight, with a more gentle chalky edge on the finish, where this shows good length. Drink now through 2022. –JM
57. CLOS FLORIDÈNE Graves 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
This ripe, grippy red displays nice kirsch, tar, roasted spice and singed bay leaf notes running through the finish. Solid and should soften nicely with modest cellaring, as the structure is polished despite the youthfully taut feel now. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2018. 5,042 cases made. –JM
58. DELAS St.-Joseph François de Tournon 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
Ripe but pure, displaying solid intensity to the cassis, anise and blackberry fruit aromas and flavors, which are only kissed with hints of toasted spice and charcoal. The long, racy finish has nice underlying grip. Best from 2013 through 2019. 30 cases imported. –JM
59. DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER Pessac-Léognan L'Esprit de Chevalier 2009
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
Fresh red currant, raspberry and cherry notes are laced with violet and blood orange. Brighter and higher-toned than most of its 2009 Pessac peers. Drink now through 2018. –JM
60. DOMAINE LE COLOMBIER Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes 2010
Score: 90 points Price: $25.00
A nicely sappy kirsch and blackberry paste feel follows through to a lightly grippy, licorice snap edge to the fruit core. Lingering spice and fruitcake hints mark the finish. Drink now through 2017. 3,750 cases made. –JM
