The 2004 Grand Ciel is the first vintage of this wine. It offers an equally expressive perfume with notes of spice box, tobacco, and leather. On the palate it is more forward than the 2005 with a bit more of an elegant personality. It should be in its prime from 2012 to 2025. DeLille Cellars and Doyenne are sister labels, the former for Bordeaux-style wines and the latter for Rhone-style wines. They will be reviewed separately. As a postscript, DeLille Cellars presented a vertical of the Chaleur Estate from 1996 to 2005. The wines are all evolving nicely with the exception of the 1997, the product of a cooler year, which needs drinking over the next few years.www.delillecellars.com

This has a broad impact on the palate, spreading across the tongue with full flavors of berry and plum, cherry and hints of smoke. It’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, pure and concentrated.. As the wine opens in the glass its flavors become more dense, offering cherry compote, bourbon barrel and creme brulee, annotated with black olive and bouquet garni.——P.G.(5/1/2008)—— 93