(25% vendange entier; 45% new oak): Bright, dark red-ruby. Captivating aromas of dark raspberry, smoky soil tones and salty minerality, plus a suggestion of graphite. Wonderfully deep, plush wine with complex flavors of raspberry and saline minerality accented by peppery herbs. This energetic, finely balanced wine finishes with lively tannins and palate-staining fruit. Technical directly Jerome Flous finds it more salty and tannic than usual but the finish offers compelling perfume. The upper portion of this vineyard, situated on pure stone, was replanted in 2005, while the lower part features 50-to-60-year-old vines on deeper soil. The two components are like two different wines, notes Flous. Stephen Tanzer