Farmer’s Leap Pillar Box Red 2008

A perennial Best Buy in these pages, the 2008 Pillar Box Red does not disappoint. A blend of 66% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Merlot, it is purple-colored with an enticing nose of cherry blossom, cinnamon, blueberry, and licorice. Ripe and rich for its humble price, it has plenty of savory fruit, good balance, and a seamless, fruit-filled finish. Score – 89. (Jay Miller, robertparker.com, Dec. 2009)