WHITE

92 Barouillet $16 Barouillet 2022 Bergerac Sec Bergecrac (Best Buy)

This is a cloudy, natty white, its white cherry and nectarine flavors tied to the finish by some volatility. It ends on scents of kombucha and then toasted brioche. Daniel Osman of the Dream Away Lodge in Becket, Mass, found it to be a fall wine—"There's a fall leaf aspect to the taste, crisp around the edges and many colored. Great with a pig roast on an October evening." (400 cases imported) Jenny & Francois, NY

88 Domaine l'Ancienne Cure $14 Domaine l'Ancienne Cure 2021 Monbazillac Jour de Fruit (Best Buy)

Grown in Monbazillac, south of the Dordogne and east of the town of Bergerac, this is a sweet semillon that needs the right moment, like after dinner with a peach pie. It's bright and fresh, and its apricot flavor will meld into the buttery pastry of a peach galette. (100 cases imported) Winedom, Lewes, DE

86 Château Montplaisir $15 Château Montplaisir 2023 Bergerac Sec

With green grape flavors that carry a mineral edge of acidity in the end, this is clean and clear, an easy white for aperitifs or a party. (56 cases imported) French Libation c/o Elenteny Imports, NY

87 Domaine de Grange Neuve $15 Domaine de Grange Neuve 2023 Côtes de Bergerac La Fleur Lily Semi-Sweet

Pretty scents of toasted almond and lavender fill this sweet sauvignon-semillon blend. It's light for a dessert wine, refreshing in its way, suited to a cheese plate. (400 cases imported) LVC Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV

RED

94 Les Verdots $18 Les Verdots 2020 Côtes de Bergerac Rouge Source des Verdots Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon - Malbec (Best Buy)

If you're looking for a Bordeaux filled with joy (an oxymoron or just a rarity?), check out this Bergerac instead. Emphasizing merlot (75 percent of the blend), the scent might bring a Right Bank satellite overachiever to mind, but that achievement would be based on vineyard work rather than flashy oak. Its high-toned fruit has a ripeness without sweetness, a mushroom savor, lasting on plump plummy flavor. Smooth, impressive and downright delicious. Terroir Beverages, Plano, TX

93 Château Les Tours des Verdots $28 Château Les Tours des Verdots 2021 Côtes de Bergerac Rouge

An herbal, sophisticated merlot–cabernet sauvignon blend, this has a cool feel and lasting elegance. It evolves in the glass and through each taste, finely integrating tannins with layers of fruit, generous and texturally compelling. Then the flavors keep going, ready to last through the last bite of a ribeye, a burger, or a crisp-skinned roast duck. (800 cases imported) Terroir Beverages, Plano, TX

91 Château Tour des Gendres $20 Château Tour des Gendres 2022 Côtes de Bergerac Rouge Cantalouette (Best Buy)

This wine’s tannins have the chewy savor of fresh black mushrooms and the saltiness of soy sauce; they parallel a sophisticated take on Cantonese beef with black mushrooms. There's a black coffee bitterness to the tannins, but they also hold a fresher scent, like the woodlands at the top of a ridge. Satisfying and appetite inducing. (1,000 cases imported) Martine's Wines, Novato, CA

90 Château les Donats $30 Château les Donats 2020 Pécharmant Royale Rbelle

Grown northeast of the town of Bergerac, in Pécharmant, this wine is rich with woodland berry flavors, its touches of sweetness contrasting a coffee-like bitter edge. This lasts on savory berry depth, a red to pour with chanterelles sautéed in butter and herbs. (50 cases imported) Matinicus Wines, Fort Collins, CO

90 Château Le Payral $17 Château Le Payral 2021 Côtes de Bergerac Rouge Merlot - Cabernet (Best Buy)

Cabernet franc brings a funky green richness to this wine's velvety texture. It's young and fresh, easy to drink lightly chilled on its own or with country paté. (200 cases imported) Savio Soares Selections , NY

88 Domaine l'Ancienne Cure $13 Domaine l'Ancienne Cure 2022 Côtes de Bergerac Rouge Ça Sulfit Merlot (Best Buy)

This integrates with air, as its initial funk and Brett dissipates into florals and charry tannins. It has enough density and mouthwatering dryness to take on grilled red meats. (100 cases imported) Winedom, Lewes, DE

88 Vignobles Boissonneau $17 Vignobles Boissonneau 2021 Côtes du Marmandais Domaine des Geais (Best Buy)

The Côtes du Marmandais is just south of the Côtes de Bergerac, across the river. Soft and gentle in approach, this wine's rustic tannins last with its black fruit. Those tannins mellow with air, allowing the black fruit to come forward. Simple and appealing, especially with grilled meats. (150 cases imported) Grape Expectations, Richmond, CA

88 Château la Briasse $25 Château la Briasse 2022 Pécharmant Cuvée Prestige

This blend of Bordeaux varieties oscillates between sweet and tart red fruit flavors, centered on lean, lacy tannins. A lamb chop or a well-aged cheese would fill in those tannins, the wine carrying enough acidity and flavor to last through fatty foods. (700 cases imported) Metropolis Wine Merchant, NY

87 Château Tour des Gendres $30 Château Tour des Gendres 2021 Côtes de Bergerac Rouge La Gloire de Mon Père

A thin red line of flavor, this is brisk and cool. It's structured on acidity more than on its light tannins, a red for grilled summer vegetables. (1,000 cases imported) Martine's Wines, Novato, CA

87 Château Moulin Caresse $35 Château Moulin Caresse 2019 Montravel Sec Cent pour 100

A smoky red wine, this has undercurrents of tobacco, its tannins austere, woody and woodsy, its lasting flavors touching on leather and autumn leaves. (10 cases imported) The Wine Source, Gardena, CA

86 Château les Donats $30 Château les Donats 2020 Côtes de Bergerac Rouge Panache

Light and cedary, this has fresh black-cherry flavors in a lean red, lasting on spicy tannins and heady alcohol. (50 cases imported) Matinicus Wines, Fort Collins, CO

86 Château Perrou-la-Baragoile $22 Château Perrou-la-Baragoile 2022 Côtes de Bergerac Rouge

There’s some volatility in the aroma, some bitterness in the finish, all of it bridged by black fruit with a cranberry edge. This wine finishes lean and warm, built for a braise. (100 cases imported) Monsieur Touton Selection Ltd, NY

95 Château de Mercuès $25 Château de Mercuès 2020 Cahors Les Ailes de Mercuès Malbec

A satisfying red with smoky mineral tannins and ripe red cherry flavor, this feels dynamic and heady, holding together in a way that's tied to its tannins. All about minerals, it's mouthwatering and will add depth to a roast turkey dinner. That's beautiful, resonant wine, and the bottle stays fresh for days after it's first opened, suggesting the potential to age well. This is impressive, given the fact that it's the second wine of the Château de Mercuès; we did not taste the first wine of the château. (405 cases imported) XXI Wines & Spirits, Miami, FL

94 Château Vincens $25 Château Vincens 2021 Cahors Origine

Cahors in an earthy, mineral cloak, this malbec holds its zip and nerve, even as it has a sunbaked ripeness. Whitney Asher of Bravaa in Lenox, Mass, found it "close to awesome, with refreshing black cherry flavor." All it lacks is integration when first opened, but that comes with a day of air. As rich as black forest cake, but not at all heavy, this is savory and delicious, especially with the dark meat of a crisp, herb-roasted chicken. The Vincens family selects this fruit from their 94 acres of vines in the hills of the Valley of Lot. (2,000 cases imported) W Direct, Lawrence, KS

93 Calos $18 Calos 2022 Cahors Grande Reserve Malbec (Best Buy)

Named for the galets on the terraced vineyard that delivers this fruit, there’s a gentle earthiness to this Cahors that keeps it local, without the ripe, rich push toward internationalism. Some on the panel found it a little syrupy, like a "raspberry-Sherry gastrique." Others appreciated the wine's "exceptional balance" of spicy red fruit and stony acidity. It's lasting and comforting. Petits Pois, Moorestown, NJ

93 Château Lamartine $20 Château Lamartine 2021 Cahors Malbec

Lise and Benjamin Gayraud farm 91 acres on south-facing terraces in the Valley of Lot. Their 2021 flagship reflects that sunny exposition in a big bruiser of a wine that's gentle and soft to the touch, coordinating its acidity and tannins in a lasting mineral smokiness. The fruit is baked cherry with a minty edge, lasting with the mineral tannins in a warm embrace. This has staying power, with impressive resistance to oxygen. Cellar it, or decant for a spicy braised pork shoulder. (800 cases imported) T.Edward Wines, NY

92 Château Eugenie $18 Château Eugenie 2022 Cahors Tsar Pierre Le Grand (Best Buy)

A silken blend of malbec and merlot, this Cahors builds an impressive structure on brisk, limestone-inflected tannins. It feels elegant, fittingly grand, the fruit plummy with some spicy green elements that bring to mind poblano peppers. (135 cases imported) BBR Imports, Houston, TX

92 Château Nozières $16 Château Nozières 2022 Cahors Tradition (Best Buy)

Light ruby in color and cranberry fresh in flavor, this is a crunchy Cahors with scents of licorice, plums and mineral-inflected tannins. It has lovely richness for a light wine. (500 cases imported) USA wine west, Sausalito, CA

92 Domaine du Prince $17 Domaine du Prince 2014 Cahors Le Chemin de la Vigne Malbec (Best Buy)

Soft, black and powerful, this feels lush with a balsamic edge. Emerson Stevens of Café Europa said it has "the elements I would look for in Cahors, powerful with dense, dark dried fruit.” This is fully mature, earthy, rich and lasting, a wine to pour with any dark meat bird. (200 cases imported) Petit Vin, Arlington, MA

92 Gérard Bertrand $25 Gérard Bertrand 2021 Cahors Héritage - An 1152

Austere and ornate at once, this is a mouthwatering, red-and-black fruited malbec that’s completely dry. You might find shades of barberry in the darker tones of the fruit, the wine cradled softly by gentle red spice. It’s a beefy wine for anything from rare filet to sautéed liver and onions. (3,000 cases imported) USA wine west, Sausalito, CA

91 Clos Triguedina $45 Clos Triguedina 2021 Cahors Probus Malbec

This wine's earthy red fruit, herbal notes of spearmint and coal-black tannins parallel the taste of an old-vine Sonoma zin. There's a citrusy, lime-zest prickle to the acidity, but the wine's glossy texture absorbs that, delivering a sense of concentrated freshness. Serve it with shepherd's pie. (40 cases imported) Cynthia Hurley Wine Import, West Newton, MA

91 Château de Cénac $29 Château de Cénac 2022 Cahors Prestige Sans Soufre Ajoutés Malbec

Blueberries and herbs fill this wine's flavors, along with complex, Bretty clove-scented tannins. Those tannins carry a gentle mineral detail, bending the berry flavors toward green fig. The wine holds its power in balance with the fruit and tannins through a dry, austere finish. It will benefit from something fatty, like grilled lamb. (2,500 cases imported) La Ville Iimports, NY

91 Château Famaey $29 Château Famaey 2022 Cahors Le Grez dans le grès Malbec

The deep purple color anticipates this wine's power and volume. Its sweet richness of fruit is perfumed, floral and tight, while dusty notes of herbs and plum leather make it a satisfying red for braises. (50 cases imported) Best Case Wines, Iowa City

91 Château Nozières $20 Château Nozières 2022 Cahors Ambroise de l'Her Malbec

As dense as fruitcake with dried fruit notes of black fig, cacao, orange peel and sunny berry scents, this malbec’s depth is lightened by cool acidity. It is, in fact, refreshing for a bold wine. Pour it with game, whether boar sausage or roast venison. (400 cases imported) USA Wine West, Sausalito, CA

91 Domaine du Prince $25 Domaine du Prince 2019 Cahors Le Chêne du Prince Malbec

Bretty and firmly structured, this feels substantial and warm, generous in its red fruit and saddle leather notes. The flavors are dense, integrated and make for easy drinking, ready for a burger. (63 cases imported) Petit Vin, Arlington, MA

90 Clos Troteligotte $17 Clos Troteligotte 2021 Cahors K-Nom (Best Buy)

Fresh cranberry and raspberry flavors have crunchy and prickly delicacy in this ripe, smooth and easy red. For hangar steak. (400 cases imported) Authentique vins, Carrboro, NC

89 Château Famaey $17 Château Famaey 2022 Cahors Tradition Malbec (Best Buy)

Anise and licorice flavors hit first in this nervy Cahors. The dark fruit tastes of prune plums, with a brightness at its core. Clean and fragrant, this is a wine for a braise. (500 cases imported) Best Case Wines, Iowa City

89 Domaine Serre de Bovila $25 Domaine Serre de Bovila 2020 Cahors La Conquista Malbec

Crazin flavors fill this wine, ripe and still herbal, melding red fruit and peppermint with enough acidity to keep it refreshing. This is supple and pleasing, a red to decant for a steak. (100 cases imported) Hachiko Imports, Union City, NJ

88 Mission de Picpus $15 Mission de Picpus 2022 Cahors Malbec (Best Buy)

Black and super-ripe, this has a saddle-leather note, along with scents of cedar and graphite in the tannins. Those tannins are firm and juicy, lasting with smooth textural pleasure. Vinovia, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

88 Château de Haute Serre $16 Château de Haute Serre 2020 Cahors Luctor Malbec (Best Buy)

The best side of this wine is the succulent texture, even as the candied flavors of mint and rose have a super-ripe raspberry and chocolate sweetness. It's loose, a little natty, but it holds together. Built for sweet barbecue ribs. XXI Wines & Spirits, Miami, FL

88 Château du Port $16 Château du Port 2022 Cahors Malbec (Best Buy)

Red plum sweetness meets umami-rich tannins, giving this wine a Bretty maturity at the edges. Emerson Stevens of Café Europa found a "mineral aroma of gun powder" making the wine "challenging but interesting." There's purple, primary fruit underneath, adding more contrasts. A bloody red to pour with roast beef. (600 cases imported) PG Fine Wines, Davie, FL

88 Domaine Serre de Bovila $20 Domaine Serre de Bovila 2022 Cahors Le Pur Sans (Sans Soufre Ajouté) Malbec

Sweet with dark chocolate tannins that carry mineral notes of river water, this is big and heady, a wine for barbecue. (200 cases imported) Hachiko Imports, Union City, NJ

87 Clos Troteligotte $25 Clos Troteligotte 2021 Cahors K-Or Malbec

Roasted carrot sweetness lends an earth tone to the fruit of this malbec. The blackberry flavor is a little reductive, leaving an herbal, Ricola-like sensation in the tannins. A ripe Cahors with unusual dimensions. (400 cases imported) Authentique vins, Carrboro, NC

87 Vinovalie $14 Vinovalie 2022 Cahors Blouson Noir Malbec (Best Buy)

The primary grape flavors of this malbec meet substantial tannins in the end, then the fruit lasts, youthful and meaty. It's a simple red for grilled steak. (178 cases imported) Steel Hill, Madison, NY

91 Château Vincens $22 Château Vincens 2022 Cahors Origine Malbec

Black fig-scented fruit and bitter-chocolate tannins mesh in this dark, foresty red. There's a touch of funk and heat in the end, like the flavor of BBQ burnt ends, an ideal match for this wine. (1,200 cases imported) DHI Selection, NY

ROSé

91 Domaine Le Roc $18 Domaine Le Roc 2023 Fronton Ninette

Fronton, a straight shot north of Toulouse, produced this substantial rosé, its color almost red, light in a cranberry shade. The scents touch on cantaloupe and musk rose, filling out the body of the wine, while the acidity integrates into the smooth texture. The rose scents last, ready for thin-sliced saucisson sec. You could also pour it with Middle Eastern dishes, from falafel to lamb shawarma. (56 cases imported) Shiverick Imports, Los Angeles, CA

RED

90 Domaine Le Roc $18 Domaine Le Roc 2020 Fronton Le Classique

Mirroring the scents of a Cantonese feast, this wine brings to mind plum sauce, sour cherries, soy and star anise in a friendly, floral, open and racy red. Packed with umami, it would be delicious with Cantonese BBQ'd ribs. (100 cases imported) Shiverick Imports, Los Angeles, CA

88 Famille Arbeau $25 Famille Arbeau 2022 Fronton Château Coutinel Grande Reserve

Super reduced, with cow barn and sweet fern scents (think sulfurous rock), this opens with air and needs a lot of it. You might find cinnamon stick, red currant and red licorice notes. It would soothing with braised tripe. (50 cases imported) Zev Rovine Selection, Brooklyn, NY

87 Domaine Le Roc $20 Domaine Le Roc 2021 Fronton Le Folle Noire d'Ambat

Dark and smoky, this negrette has a floral bitterness, an herbal spice—think bay leaf and allspice. There’s a rawness to the tannins, a bit rustic and hard pressed, giving it an artisanal feel. The tannins would meld into the dark meat of roast duck or goose. (200 cases imported) Shiverick Imports, Los Angeles, CA

91 Domaine Gayrard $33 Domaine Gayrard 2019 Gaillac Point du Jour

When Pierre Fabre and his wife, Laure, took over his family’s domaine in Gaillac, northeast of Toulouse, they shifted back to vines from cereal production, now farming more than 75 acres, and converting the property to organic viticulture. This braucol is as dark as indigo ink. The flavors are cool, foresty and spicy, long on notes of red currant and bay, while the ferrous tannins have mellowed through 18 months of aging in barriques. (30 cases imported) BBR Imports, Houston, TX

88 Château Lastours $40 Château Lastours 2021 Gaillac Cuvée du Pigeonnier

With bright prune-plum flavors that parallel an old-vine California zin, this wine’s tannins have the taste of black cherry twigs. Those tannins hold a lot of character in a dense finish, needing time to unwind and reveal more of the fruit character. (15 cases imported) Baron François LTD, NY

87 Domaine des Terrisses $18 Domaine des Terrisses 2023 Gaillac Le Monde en Parle Duras

"A rustic wine, as if made in a French family's basement, all plum skins and black cherry primary fruit," said Amy Loveless of the Dream Away Lodge in Becket, Mass. The upfront flavors of raspberry sorbet meet light, dusty tannins in the end. Simple and charming. (50 cases imported) Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA

90 Lionel Osmin & Cie $18 Lionel Osmin & Cie 2023 IGP Comté Tolosan Cantera

Here’s a rich wine for winter with scents of narcissus, almond oil and peach pit playing off a buzz of acidity in the end. Peachy and completely dry, the savory richness will take on roast grouper or grilled bluefish. (200 cases imported) Vintage Imports, Philadelphia, PA

88 Vinovalie $14 Vinovalie 2023 IGP Comte Tolosan Carmelle Gamay Rosé

Spiky acidity structures this deep pink rosé, the peach and cranberry flavors a touch vegetal and fully mouthwatering. The wine’s subtle bitterness will take on a plate of grilled vegetables, from eggplant to zucchini, peppers and herbs. (50 cases imported) Winedom, Lewes, DE

90 Famille Fournié $20 Famille Fournié 2022 IGP Comte Tolosan Partie de Plaisir Malbec

Light in color and weight, with a mineral edge to the acidity, this wine gains clarity and depth with air. The fruit comes up, revealing notes of red currants and spicy florals. It has a little gamey edge for lamb, to pour with wood-fired rib chops. (1,400 cases imported) Baron François, NY

90 Domaine Damiens $25 Domaine Damiens 2022 IGP Comte Tolosan Pyrenées Atlantiques La Lièvre d'Ostara Sans Soufre Tannat

Buzzy acidity lifts this wine's fresh flavors of "blackberries growing wild on the side of a dirt road in summer," as chef Amy Loveless described it. Red currant scents add a brighter note. Bosky and animal in its tannins, herbal in its thyme-like edges, this is a wine for a summer hike with a picnic of country paté. (600 cases imported) Free Run, Seattle, WA

WHITE

93 Domaine de Millet $19 Domaine de Millet 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Moelleux Gros Manseng (Best Buy)

The scent of this wine is potent, intriguing and a little sweaty, but the wine itself is clean and fresh, lasting with a mild sweetness, like a ripe white nectarine. The finesse of its acidity will lend refreshment with bloomy rind cheese—a beautiful wine for a ripe, melting Epoisse. (1,200 cases imported) Winedom, Lewes, DE

91 Domaine Guillaman $15 Domaine Guillaman 2022 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Frisson d'Automne (Best Buy)

The sweetness of this wine's fruit has a baked apple flavor, like caramelized bits of apple pie. It's not clear from the front label that this is a sweet wine, but it's revealed in the fine print on the back. There's enough freshness and acidity to clean up that sweetness, bringing an appetite for cheese at the end of a meal, whether soft and melting with a bloomy rind or Gouda aged long enough to develop crystals. (50 cases imported) Calvert Woodley, Washington DC

91 Maison Fontan $10 Maison Fontan 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Maubet Blanc Colombard - Ugni Blanc - Gros Manseng (Best Buy)

An immediate scent of honeydew melon blasts from the glass before the wine settles into scents of highland herbs, as if hiking in the hills of southwestern France. This is a brisk, refreshing white with notes of Queen Anne's lace (wild carrot) and mineral savor. The finish is mouthwatering, ready for dinner in the late summer or fall. (1,000 cases imported) Elenteny Imports, NY

90 Domaine Tariquet $21 Domaine Tariquet 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Amplitude

Here's a delicious way to get to know a local Gascon variety, gros manseng. The wine leads with white cranberry and matchstick scents. Its supple texture has a buzzy acidity and some CO2, lasting on apple richness. Substantial enough for pork rillettes or crispy pork belly. (300 cases imported) Frederick Wildman, NY

88 Domaine Haut Marin $12 Domaine Haut Marin 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne N°6 Fossiles (Best Buy)

Notes of thyme, honey and melon fill this delicate white, made from fruit grown in ancient marine sediments with a lot of seashell fossils. It feels supple, with a touch of richness in the end, ready to chill for trout amandine. Vigneron Imports , Oakland, CA

88 Domaine Laffitte $10 Domaine Laffitte 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Sweet (Best Buy)

This honeyed wine is savory in the middle and touched by sweetness in the end, a subtle, grapey white for paté at the start of the meal, or fruit at the end. Apollo Fine Wine & Spirits, Freeport, NY

88 Le Petit Gascoûn $9 Le Petit Gascoûn 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Colombard-Sauvignon (Best Buy)

This rich colombard blend emphasizes mineral notes and green olive scents in an open, yielding texture. It needs a chill to keep it focused, and something savory, like braised dark-meat chicken. Apollo, Freeport, NY

87 Domaine de Papolle $13 Domaine de Papolle 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Quatre C

Light almond notes show a touch of leesy oxidation in this clean, herbal white, its sage-like tone bringing freshness of a roast chicken. (5000 cases imported) Grape Expectations, Richmond, CA

86 Plaimont $11 Plaimont 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Elia Colombard

With a primitive floral sweetness, this is a musky white to serve with southeast Asian fare. Amy Loveless of the Dream Away Lodge in Becket, Mass, would pour it with rice noodles tossed with cucumber, cilantro, grilled chicken and nuoc cham. (1,500 cases imported) August Import, Kent, WA

ROSé

90 Les Vins de L'Herre $12 Les Vins de L'Herre 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne La Galope Rosé

Rosy pink in color, this wine's peppermint scents turn toward a minty bitterness in the finish, shifting toward touches of sweetness. There’s plenty of fresh acidity to keep the red grape flavors clean, lasting with delicacy, ready to chill for grilled calamari. Bridge Imports, Huntington, NY

86 Le Petit Gascoûn $9 Le Petit Gascoûn 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Le Petit Gascoûn Rosé

Sweet vinous scents of strawberries and honey introduce this rosé, a lush and simple wine to chill for the beach. Apollo, Freeport, NY

RED

85 Domaine Laffitte $10 Domaine Laffitte 2023 IGP Côtes de Gascogne Malbec

This tastes like a homemade wine, rustic, grapey, primary, silly and a touch sweet. For grilled chicken hearts. (3,500 cases imported) Apollo Fine Wine & Spirits, Freeport, NY

PACHERENC DU VIC BILH

95 Château Laffitte Teston $23 Château Laffitte Teston 2022 Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec Rêve d'Automne Moelleux

Finely defined ripe peach and crisp autumn apple flavors give this wine dynamic intensity. The background structure of tannins builds savor to balance the underlying sweetness. Pair this with an unsweetened peach tart or a savory almond tart. It's just completely delicious, the flavors lasting with a gentle tug of refreshment. Harvest for this wine begins on the first cold day of November, from vines growing in pebbly limestone and clay soils. As each lot comes in, the grapes spend 12 hours in contact with their skins, then start fermentation and aging, lasting up to six months in oak barrels (80 percent new). By the time we tasted it, that oak was completely integrated in the richness of the wine. (12 cases imported) DB Wine, Framingham, MA

94 Domaine Laougué $25 Domaine Laougué 2022 Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec 19.91

There's something dynamic, almost explosive about this wine's flavors in the end, building from subtle jasmine scents to mint to a powerful finish of thyme flowers. Structured and mouthwatering, with a jazz riff of acidity, this grows in the hills of Madiran and has taken on the feel of a cool Pyranées mountain wine. Its sense of refreshment lasts for minutes after each sip. (700 cases imported) Martine's Wines, Novato, CA

92 Château Bouscassé $28 Château Bouscassé 2019 Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec Les Jardins Philosophiques

There's a sensation of cooling menthol in the scent of this wine, along with ripe, sunny peaches. That sunny vibrancy contrasts a cool, brisk feel that lasts, playing off the leesiness. It's a mouthwatering white to serve with braised white meats, like rabbit or pheasant. (200 cases imported) Regal Wine Imports, Moorestown, NJ

92 Château Laffitte Teston $20 Château Laffitte Teston 2022 Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec Ericka

Yellow peaches, almond blossoms, freshly mown grass and mint may all come to mind when you taste this wine. It's layered, supple and honeyed in the end, a wine to serve cellar temperature with a chicken salad tossed with chopped summer peaches. (30 cases imported) DB Wine, Framingham, MA

91 Famille Laplace $25 Famille Laplace 2022 Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec Odé d'Aydie

Expansive in its structure, this develops from the scent to the finish, tightly built upfront, evolving to stony richness and power in the end. It buzzes with mineral acidity, asking for grilled grouper or other densely fleshed game fish. (88 cases imported) LVDH / Wineberry America LLC, NY

88 Château Viella $20 Château Viella 2023 Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec Séraphin

A clean white, this has depth of flavor, even if that flavor is as simple as the green skins of Thomson Seedless grapes. There's a sensation of tannins in the finish, creating an austerity that's refreshing, and a structure that will stand up to a roast pork chop. (150 cases imported) Sussex Wine Merchants , Moorestown, NJ

MADIRAN

93 Brumont $17 Brumont 2020 Madiran Le Rouge d'Alain Brumont (Best Buy)

Black-currant depths of flavor fill this wine as it reaches every corner of the mouth. This is an elegant mountain wine, delicious and gentle, red fruited underneath the black. The buzz of alcohol carries the wine through a flavorful finish, the fruit depth lasting. This isn't hot, it's just firm, compelling and complete. Yummy richness and satisfaction. (200 cases imported) Regal Wine Imports, Moorestown, NJ

92 Château Viella $23 Château Viella 2022 Madiran Symbiose Sans Soufre Tannat

Silken tannins are the first impression of this wine, then the fruit comes up from behind with black cherry richness. There's an herbal freshness that opens up over the bitter chocolate tannins. This will transport you to Southwest France as it cuts through the lanolin of roast leg of lamb. (100 cases imported) Sussex Wine Merchants , Moorestown, NJ

92 Marie Maria $40 Marie Maria 2020 Madiran Grevière

An evergreen scent of spruce sharpens the focus on this wine’s extravagant, inky black fruit. You'll find some barnyard scents and some raspberry seed tannins in a tannat that’s extroverted and energized, its peppery-herbal impression ready for pan roasted partridge or grouse. (600 cases imported) Monsieur Touton Selection Ltd., NY

91 Clos Basté $30 Clos Basté 2020 Madiran

Powerful richness—blackcurrant straight through—this tannat carries the juiciness of fresh berries: It has the snap of a fresh berry skin, tight, with a touch of barnyard in the scent. This offers a lot of richness to serve with crispy roast duck. (15 cases imported) AJ Selection, John Junguenet, Westfield, NJ

90 Domaine Berthoumieu $28 Domaine Berthoumieu 2021 Madiran La Fé Sans Soufre Tannat

Inky purple in color and scent, this wine’s full on black cherry and black pepper show fine interaction of tannins and fruit. Together, they weave into a silken texture—a lovely steak wine. Satisfying. (100 cases imported) Vintage Imports, Philadelphia, PA

90 Domaine Laougué $20 Domaine Laougué 2021 Madiran 19.10

Scents of night-blooming jasmine meld with this wine’s black currant muskiness. The tannins layer over the flavor of black plum fruit leather, adding a bitter herbal quality, slowly releasing the fruit. (1,000 cases imported) Martine's Wines, Novato, CA

88 Château Laffitte Teston $22 Château Laffitte Teston 2020 Madiran Vieilles Vignes

This concentrated wine is black, smoky and bitter, with fresh prune-plum flavors and a touch of alcohol burn in the end. The finish is very herbal, like oregano. (100 cases imported) Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA

90 Domaine Laurens $15 Domaine Laurens 2022 Marcillac Pierres Rouges (Best Buy)

Meaty and rich, this wine's ferrous tannins integrate with a cool menthol buzz and a conifer scent. The finish has a stone fruit character, like apricot, bathed in red wine tannins. Decant it for a steak. (60 cases imported) Potomac Selection , Landover, MD