2010 Bordeaux Wine Vintage Report and Buying Guide with 2010 Bordeaux Tasting Notes, Reviews and Ratings for the top 250 wines from every Bordeaux wine appellation, St. Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien, Margaux, Pessac Leognan, Pomerol, St Emilion and more.
The following 2010 Bordeaux tasting notes were from tasting’s in April in Bordeaux. They are arranged by appellation from north to south in the Medoc, followed by Pessac Leognan, Pomerol, St. Emilion and various lesser appellations.
For a quick look ahead at the best values from this expensive, but stellar, Bordeaux vintage, 2010 Best Bordeaux wine for the money today
St. Estephe Wine tasting notes, reviews, ratings
2010 Le Petit Bocq Situated on gravel based soils not far from Calon Segur, this blend of 58% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and the remainder Cabernet Franc is a powerful Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux wine that offers a chewy bite of black fruit, cassis and tannins. 88-90 Pts
2010 Cos D’Estournel was produced from 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and the remainder Petit Verdot. This Bordeaux wine reached 14.5 % alcohol which is a little lower than they achieved in 2009. Representing 55% of the harvest, the wine looks as dark as a midnight sky, with coaxing the wine offers smoke, Asian spice, cassis, boysenberry, stone and minerality in the complex nose. Powerful, dense, pure and packed with tannins as well as a wall of fruit, this wine requires serious aging. Long, fresh and mouth filling, while the tannin levels are less than they were in 2009, due to the higher levels of acidity, (which shaped the wines character) the wine feels more tannic. This broad shouldered, muscular Bordeaux wine will not be fun to drink in its youth. In time, it may become the perfect blend of tradition and modern. Tasters who were not happy with 2009 Cos should love this wine, as it’s closer in style to 2005, with a dash of 1986 blended in, than it is to 2009. 96-98 Pts
Prats thinks 2010 Cos is a perfect definition of what Bordeaux does at its best, mixing austerity, power and elegance. While he loves the 2009 for its glamorous style, he considers it a unique vintage for the chateau.
With the new gravity cellars at Cos d’Estournel, it appears like Prats is seeking perfection in wine. Is he? We discussed optical sorters, a technique that is not used at the chateau. Prats is not using the machine because he likes a little of the character that a small amount of stems adds to the wine. Provided they are ripe and brown in color, which can add acidity along with tannin and character if included in a very small quantity.
2010 Les Pagodes de Cos From an assemblage of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, this is a brawny, focused and straight forward style of wine. In the mouth, the wine is tannic, fresh and filled with dark berries. Prats called this vintage a severe style of Pagodes that requires time. 90-92 Pts
2010 Le Crock A blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, the wine offers coco powder, cassis and black raspberry aromas. Medium bodied and round textured, this wine packs a lot of punch more the money. This Bordeaux wine ends with a fresh cassis finish. 90-91 Pts
2010 Haut Beausejour With 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, this well-priced St. Estephe wine combines smoke, espresso bean, red and black fruit and hints of spice for a Bordeaux wine with freshness, backbone and a fair price. A top value Bordeaux wine pick from St. Estephe. 89-91 Pts
2010 Haut Marbuzet Medium boded, cassis filled, correctly made, beefy Bordeaux wine that should drink well shortly after release. 87-89 Pts
2010 Lilian Ladouys, Located close to Lafon Rochet on sand and gravel soils, this vintage was produced from a 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine opens with stone, oak and blackberry aromas. Medium bodied with light cassis flavors and dusty tannins are found in the finish. 89-91 Pts
2010 Montrose From a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and a smidgen of Petit Verdot, this represents 64% of the production. Opaque in color, with a nose of coffee, blackberry liqueur, cassis and spice, this is a powerful, dense, massive, tannic wine. Firm and structured, the wine coats your palate with a wall of fruit, tannin and acidity. This big, structured Bordeaux wine will require decades to develop. 95-96 Pts
2010 Le Dame de Montrose from 654% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot 89-91 Pts
2010 Ormes de Pez From the seam technical team as Chateau Lynch Bages in Pauillac, blending 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot produced a deeply colored wine with scents of stone, cassis and coffee bean. With round tannins and a soft entry, this Bordeaux wine finishes with sweet cassis and black cherry flavors, supple textures and freshness. 90-92 Pts
2010 de Pez From a blend of 52.5% Cabernet Sauvignon paired with 47.5 Merlot,( which is almost the exact assemblage as they used in Haut Beausejour,) the wine shows fresh blackberry, licorice, stone and spice aromas. Full bodied with fresh dark berry flavors on the palate, the wine ends with a cassis filled finish. 90-92 Pts
2010 Tronquoy Lalande Produced from a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot, this likable, easy to understand Bordeaux wine offers blackberry and earth aromas, finishing with a mélange of sweet, red and dark berries. 90-92 Pts
2010 Bordeaux wine, Pauillac reviews, ratings and tasting notes from all the top chateaux.
2010 d’Armailhac 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot produced a wine that opens with cedar, 5 spice, gravel and cassis scents. Filled with chocolate covered blackberries and sweet cassis, this Bordeaux wine offers depth and purity of flavor. This is the second strong vintage in a row for this Pauillac. 92-94 Pts
2010 Clerc Milon 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot ,11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere make up the blend for the darkest color I recall seeing in Clerc Milon. Complex aromas of fresh herbs, cassis, forest scents, cedar wood and mocha open to smooth tannins, fleshy textures, brightness and a clean, cassis filled finish. 91-93 Pts
2010 Grand Puy Lacoste 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot were blended to produce a deep colored wine that expresses toasty oak, cassis, coffee, jammy dark berries, tobacco and olive tapenade aromas that pair well with the full-bodied, bite of concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon, spice and cassis. Along with the stellar 2005, this is the best vintage of this Bordeaux wine since the outstanding 2000. 94-96 Pts
2010 Haut Batailey From 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the Borie family produced a Bordeaux wine that offers spicy cassis aromas, depth of flavor and a finish of ripe black and red fruits. 90-92 Pts
2010 Lafite Rothschild – Produced from a blend of 87.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12.8% Merlot, (which is close to what the estate used in 2005,) the wine opened with cedar, earth, minerality, cassis and forest floor aromatics. In the mouth, the wine is suave, polished and fresh, with layers of pure blackberry and spicy cassis. This is pure refined elegance, which is what Bordeaux wine does at its best. While not the most powerful First Growth, it’s the most regal in bearing. According to the Director, Charles Chevalier, part of the reason for the success in 2010 was due to less pumping over than usual. Chevalier added, with the high 13.5% alcohol level, his team spent more time watching over each individual vat during fermentation. 97-99 Pts
2010 Duhart-Milon 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot, (which is also similar to what the property used in 2005,) the wine opens with sweet oak, truffle, cassis and tobacco notes. This medium/full bodied cassis filled Bordeaux wine has ripe tannins and a long, polished black fruit filled finish. 93-95 Pts
2010 Carruades de Lafite With cedar, earth, forest floor scents, this medium bodied wine offers cassis, cranberry and bright spicy flavors. 88-90 Pts
Lafite Rothschild sells for dizzying prices these days. Current releases can sell for $2,000 per bottle in the Chinese market! Obviously, Lafite is not an everyday wine, nor is it often tasted by younger wine drinkers. Charles Chevalier said Bordeaux is the perfect wine for beginners. But his appellation of choice is surprising. According to Chevalier, “New wine lovers should start with the sweet wine of Sauternes. They are perfectly balanced with alcohol, sweetness and perfumes. This will prepare them to start enjoying red wines.”
We asked Chevalier a follow-up question. What does he look for first, when tasting a wine? His wines are complex, but his answer was perfectly simple. “Pleasure is number one.”
2010 Latour This special wine was crafted from only 36% of the harvest. Using 90.5 Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the wine reached 14.4% alcohol. In the glass, this inky, black colored wine is filled with truffle, cassis, chocolate fudge, leather, spice and Cuban cigar aromas. Combining delicacy, power, richness and elegance, (which is always difficult,) the palate is washed over by waves of intense pure cassis and spicy black plums that fill your mouth and coat your mouth. With ripe tannins, purity of fruit and freshness, this is so rich, concentrated and creamy, you can eat it with a spoon. Seamless, balanced and harmonious, the finish lasts for over one minute. The essence of Pauillac, this is pure liquid intensity and a contender for the 2010 Bordeaux wine of the vintage . 98-100 Pts
2010 Les Forts de Latour is produced from 72.5 Cabernet Sauvignon, 25.5 Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. This deeply colored, earth, oak, cassis and tobacco scented wine offers concentration, freshness, blackberry and chocolate flavors in the finish. This wine shares a resemblance with its big brother, Chateau Latour. 90-93 Pts
2010 Pauillac de Latour – Produced from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44.5 Merlot and a dollop of Cabernet Franc, this is an uncommonly rich third wine with cassis, tobacco, coca and dark cherry sensations. 89-91 Pts
2010 Lynch Bages 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Franc made up the blend for 2010. Visually, the wine sports a deep ruby color. It’s big, fat and concentrated, sweet ripe, blackberries and cassis. This is a masculine, powerful, structured Bordeaux wine vintage for Lynch Bages. The tannins are ripe, but this wine will require serious aging before becoming civilized. The wine ends with a blast of ripe, chewy cabernet fruit. Yields were close to 10% less across the board than in 2009 at 50 hectoliters per hectare. 94-95 Pts
This explains the ability to maintain the same amount of merlot in a year that was difficult for that variety. The wine will be aged in 70% new oak. Jean Charles Cazes, when asked to compare 2010 with 2009 stated, 2010 is a more serious, bigger wine with more tannin and backbone that will age better. We agree on the aging potential, but I’m not sure I agree on a preference for 2010 over 2009. Cazes added, it will be a fun debate over the years to be decided by comparing the wines. On that, we were in complete agreement. I look forward to that as well.
We spent a few moments discussing the recent appointment of his aunt Sylive Cazes as the director of Pichon Lalande. I asked if he felt that he was in a little bit of a competition with his aunt, Sylvie Cazes, as she also manages a different estate in Pauillac. Cazes responded by reminding me that, years ago, his father was in charge of Pichon Baron and Jean-Michel never felt he was competing with himself. Good point!
2010 Lynch Bages Blanc – With a higher portion of Sauvignon Blanc in this vintage, 67%, with 15% Semillon and 2% Muscadelle, the wine offers scents of lemon, honey dew, orange rind, floral and pumpkin spice, ending with a refreshing, sweet lemon, citrus finish. 88- 90 Pts
2010 – Echo Light ruby in color, medium bodied, soft textured, this will drink well young. 88-89 Pts
2010 Mouton Rothschild represents the largest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon used in blend in the history of the chateau at 94%. The remainder is Merlot. The wine reached 14% alcohol, which is slightly higher than the estate achieved in 2009. From 49% of the harvest, which already experienced low yields due to the weather, the wine achieved natural concentration. Inky dark ruby with purple edges, abundant scents of cedar, truffle, tobacco, boysenberry, cassis, and hints of blueberry prepare your palate for a bath in pure Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich silk textures, power and refined elegance with a suave, exotic, opulent style is the signature of this wine which explodes on your palate and continues to broaden and expand in flavor. This is a great vintage of Mouton which competes with the sublime 2006. 97-100 Pts
2010 Petit Mouton From an assemblage of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, the wine is spicy, with bright cassis, oak and earth in the nose. Medium bodied with fresh cassis and dark berries, this is the best vintage of this wine I recall tasting. This Pauillac will show well young. 89-91 Pts
2010 Pedesclaux, a contender for the most obscure classified growth in Pauillac opens with earth, cassis and spice. This medium/full bodied wine ends with a tannic cassis and blackberry finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Pichon Comtesse de Lalande produced from 41 hectoliters per hectare, which is low for the estate, the wine is an assemblage of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Flowers, 5 spice, cassis, truffle, coca and tobacco scents open the aromatics. This rich, tannic vintage of Pichon Lalande offers a full bodied, fresh, concentrated wine brimming with ripe, juicy cassis, black raspberry jam, vanilla and spice. This Bordeaux wine ends with a long, clean, supple finish. 94-96 Pts
Sylvie Cazes said she expects the renovations to the chateau and glass museum to completed by June.
2010 Pichon Longueville Baron utilized only 45% of the harvest to make a great 2010. The wine reached 13.75% alcohol, the same level as in 2009. From an assemblage of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, this deep, dark, purple colored wine opens with cassis liqueur, oak, truffle, tobacco and walnuts Powerful, concentrated and stuffed with ripe cassis and licorice flavors, this dense, classic style of Pauillac ends with a long generous, round, tannic finish. The best wine from this estate since 2005, it will be aged in 80% new oak. 96-97 Pts
2010 Les Tourelles de Longueville from a blend of 60% merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine offers a cassis, olives and spice perfumed wine with a medium body. This is a lighter style of ready to drink Pauillac. 86-88 Pts
2010 Pontet Canet Produced from an assemblage of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, yields were down 10% from 2009. Inky black in color, the wine stains the sides of the glass. Cassis, stone, forest floor, tobacco and cedar aromas effortlessly pop from the glass. This fills your mouth with flavor. Packed and stacked with layers of ripe, fat, plump fruit, voluptuous in style, with freshness and ripe tannins, the blackberry, blue fruit, cassis, licorice and spice filled finish grows in your mouth. 96-97 Pts
2010 marks the first vintage for Pontet Canet that the wine experienced 100% bio dynamic as well as organic farming. Pontet Canet is now officially certified biodynamic as well as organic. While the label will not mention it, according to the owner Alfred Tesseron, this is a fact. The organic certification was awarded by Ecocert. The bio dynamic certification comes from biodyvin.
2010 St. Julien Bordeaux wine tasting notes, ratings and reviews.
2010 Beychevelle A blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot create a structured, masculine, four-square styled wine dominated by fresh, ripe, cassis notes. This old school style of Bordeaux wine will please some tasters more than it did me. 89-91 Pts
2010 Branaire Ducru From an assemblage of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23.5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2.5% Cabernet Franc, (Similar to the 2009) the wine sports a deep ruby tint. Jammy black raspberry, spice and hints of toasty oak start off the perfume. In the mouth, fresh cassis, mocha, olives and spice combine with strong, ripe tannins, ending in a blackberry filled finish. This Bordeaux wine reached 13.8% alcohol, which is higher than they recorded in 2009. Due to the high level of acidity, there is no sensation of heat. According to the owner, Patrick Maroteaux, one of the keys to the success in 2010 is due to their new method of handling the press wine. This includes ageing the press wine in one year old barrels and utilizing more selection in the press wine. 40% of the press wine was allocated to the Grand Vin. The remainder was included in the second St. Julien wine. 93-94 Pts
2010 Ducru Beaucaillou Produced from a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, the St. Julien wine reached 13.95% alcohol. Inky purple in color, cassis, truffle, cedar, spice, oak, mocha and fennel aromas are found with little coaxing. Polished, powerful, long, fresh, pure and clean, the layers of chocolate covered black cherries resonate in the finish. This regal Bordeaux wine remains on your palate for close to 50 seconds. The wine will be aged in 95% new oak for 18 months. 96-98 Pts
2010 Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot. 2010 marks the debut for the new label promoting the estates efforts to market this brand as a unique Bordeaux wine, and not a second label of Ducru Beaucaillou. According to Bruno Borie, the reason for this is; the St. Julien wine emanates from a different terroir than the Grand Vin. Cassis, plums and anise scents lead to a wine offering juicy ripe plums and hints of coca. Fresh, clean and polished, this is a strong effort for Croix de Beaucaillou. The wine is going to be aged in 60% new oak for about 12 months. 91-93 Pts
2010 Lalande Borie – Produced from a vineyard purchased from Lagrange in the 70’s, this soft, pleasant, easy to like and appreciate, blackberry and black cherry filled wine should offer pleasure on release. 89-90 Pts
2010 Fourcase Borie, formerly sold under the name of Fourcas Dumont is a new wine from Bruno Borie of Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou. Filled with juicy ripe, spicy cassis, blackberry and earth, this round, charming, crowd pleasing Bordeaux wine will offer a lot of bang for the buck in the under $20 category. 88-90 Pts
2010 Gruaud Larose With yields of 40 hectoliters per hectare, the property produced a wine blending 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot with the remainder evenly split between Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This St. Julien wine reached 13.8% alcohol in 2010, which is slightly higher than they achieved in 2009. Ruby colored, with scents of cassis, oak and gravel, this full bodied, brawny, beefy, traditional and tannic Bordeaux wine has some dryness in the finish. 91-93 Pts
2010 Lagrange is a powerful Bordeaux wine, packed with ripe dark berries and cassis. This concentrated coca and ripe berry flavored St. Julien wine offers freshness and a licorice cassis filled finish. 90-92 Pts
2010 Leoville Barton – Deep ruby with purple accents, cassis, earth and spice aromas open to a big mouthful of juicy, chewy, tannic, cabernet sauvignon. While tannic and broad shouldered, the tannins are soft and round. This is one of my favorite vintages of Leoville Barton. Like all the estates St. Julien wines, this Bordeaux wine will age well and it should be accessible earlier than 2005. 94-96 Pts
2010 Leoville Las Cases A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc represents 36.7% of the harvest. The wine reached 13.7% alcohol, which is l0wer than the 13.8% level recorded in 2009. Opaque purple in color, this big, concentrated, thick St. Julien wine is stuffed with ripe cassis and fresh blackberries. Powerful, tannic, ripe, fresh and dense, this masculine Bordeaux wine requires serious cellar time to become civilized. 95-96 Pts
2010 Clos du Marquis was produced from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Interestingly, this wine represents the same portion of the harvest as Leoville Las Cases, 36.7%. Chewy, boysenberry and cassis flavors couple with powerful but tannins and a strong, fresh, cassis filled finish. 89-92 Pts
2010 Le Petit Lion de Marquis de Las Cases – The official second wine of Chateau Leoville Las Cases offers sweet cassis and blackberry with bitter chocolate, medium/full body and juicy cabernet in the finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Leoville Poyferre From an assemblage of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, along with 3% Cabernet Franc, this St. Julien wine reached 14% alcohol. Even at this degree of alcohol, there is no feeling of heat. Smoke, earth, jammy dark berries and cassis scents produce the aromatics. This fresh, chocolate covered cassis filled wine is big and almost brawny in style. Its beefy tannins and low pH combine freshness and power which are made better by the long cassis filled, powerful finish. According to Didier Cuvelier, 2010 reminds him of 2005. I see his point. But for me, 2010 is a more powerful Bordeaux wine, while 2005 offers more elegance and charm.93-96 Pts
2010 Saint-Pierre From a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remainder Merlot, this deep, ruby colored wine shows a cassis, oak, floral, spice and jammy black raspberry nose. On the palate, the tannic, concentrated, sweet, jammy black cherry and licorice wine shows freshness, but the tannins feel dusty in the finish. The Bordeaux wine will be aged in 55% new oak. 92-94 Pts
2010 Talbot Using 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, this wine offers cassis, earth and tobacco scents. Medium/full bodied, the cassis filled finish shows a hint of green flavors in the end. 88-90 Pts
2010 Margaux Bordeaux Wine Reviews, Ratings and Tasting Notes.
2010 L’Aura de Cambon From an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this soft textured Bordeaux wine is filled with deep, plush, blackberry, dark cherry and spice which feels fresh and clean in the mouth. 89-91 Pts
2010 Bellevue de Tayac Located in the commune of Soussan in Margaux,Jean Luch Thunevin has been in charge of this estate since 2004. From an assemblage of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, a nose of truffle, tobacco and cassis leads into a medium bodied wine filled with jam, soft tannins, chocolate and cassis that should drink well early. 88-90
2010 Brane Cantenac introduced many technical improvements with the 2010 vintage, starting with, the Air Tec system, which they used for the first time. 2010 also marks the debut of the optical sorting machine at the Bordeaux wine estate. According to Henri Lurton, “The Optical Sorting Machine” was perfect for the difficult Merlot harvest.” Additionally, the estate added 4 small vats allowing for more precise vinification on separate parcels. Lurton credits much of the vintage’s style to the combination of dry weather and cool nights. From a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 13.5% alcohol, which is high for Brane Canenac. With a pH of 3.70, there is no sensation of heat in the Bordeaux wine. The Grand Vin represents 33% of the harvest.
2010 Brane Cantenac From a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 13.5% alcohol, which is high for Brane Canenac. With a pH of 3.70, there is no sensation of heat in the wine. The Grand Vin represents 33% of the harvest. The wine opens with a delicate perfume of floral, jammy dark berries, cassis, oak and tobacco scents. Fresh, blackberry, floral, licorice and black cherry flavors, round ample tannins and a sweet, spicy cassis finish are the hallmarks of this wine. This shows more depth and acidity than the 2009. 92-94 Pts
2010 Baron de Brane – Blackberry, oak and coca scents open to an easy to drink, fresh, medium-bodied Margaux wine. 87-89 Pts
2010 d’Issan From a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and 39% Merlot, the Margaux wine will probably be aged in 55% new oak for close to 18 to 20 months. 2010, with its dark, inky purple accents stains the glass is it’s swirled. Oak, cassis, forest floor and graphite scents are on display with little coaxing, Offering a big mouthful of ripe cassis, vanilla, licorice and sweet tannin, there is a lot to like about this Bordeaux wine. More classic in style than 2009, 2010 is a little richer and more powerful than the 2009. Emmanuel Cruse feels the wine is one step up from the 2009. I agree. He added, “Even though the IPT levels are the same in both vintages, 2010 feels denser and offers more structure.” d’Issan is one of the Medoc properties with slightly lower alcohol levels in 2010, when compared with 2009. 2009 reached 13.9%. In 2010, the wine is at 13.7% . 94-95 Pts
Blason d’Issan 59 % Cabernet Sauvignon & 41% Merlot offers soft textures, cassis and black cherry flavors with good freshness. This should offer pleasure and charm when released. 87-88 Pts
2010 Durfort Vivens From an assemblage of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, (Which is almost identical to the blend in 2009) this medium bodied, soft, cassis and red plum Bordeaux wine is elegantly styled and should drink well within a few years of release. 89-91 Pts
2010 Giscours Produced from a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot, this is the highest concentration of Cabernet Sauvignon in the history of the chateau! The harvest produced yields that were slightly lower than they produced in 2009. That combination created a deep ruby colored wine offering floral, cassis, boysenberry and smoky aromas. Round tannins, supple textures and more muscle than usual led the way for a long, fresh, Margaux finish of pure, ripe, cassis. 91-93 Pts
According to Alexandre Van Beek, he’s happy with the masculine edge to the wines style in this vintage. He graciously stated, “Credit goes to their consultant Denis Dubordieu, who began working with Giscours and du Tertre starting with the vintage. “
2010 Le Sirene de Giscours opens with cassis aromas, coupled with a medium body and easy to drink textures, this will be fun to drink on release. 85-87 Pts
2010 Labergorce Deep color, earth, cassis and licorice in the nose. This easy to like Margaux wine should offer pleasure early. 88 – 90 Pts
2010 Lascombes was one of the few estates in the Medoc to use more Merlot in their blend than they included in 2009. With a blend of 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, the wine is deep ruby with blue, purple accents. On the nose, violets, oak, cassis and forest floor aromas are easy to find. Concentrated with ripe fruit, cassis, tannin and wood, this plush textured, tannic Bordeaux wine, finishes with chocolate, cassis and coffee flavors. 91-93 Pts.
2010 Malescot St. Exupery Blending 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot with the remainder evenly split between Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this Margaux wine reached 14% alcohol. This is not a taste by the numbers wine. There is no sensation of heat in this beauty. Aromas of tobacco, cigar ash, stone, blackberry and floral scents pop from the glass with little effort. Mouth coating layers of concentrated, dense, ripe, sweet dark berries, powerful tannins and freshness. Rich, thick and flavorful, with a boatload of tannin, this Bordeaux wine will require over a decade of time in the cellar. Pairing high quality, style and price, this merits serious attention. 95-97 Pts
2010 Margaux – A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the wine is defined in part because of the effective low yields. Only 38% of the harvest was included in the Grand Vin. The rest of the harvest was divided as follows. An equal portion of 38% went into Pavillon Rouge. The remaining wine was divided between their third and the new fourth Bordeaux wine. 210 marks what could be the lowest production ever recorded in Chateau Margaux.
Deep ruby on color, with an enticing perfume filled with smoke, cedar, cassis, violets, oak, tobacco, spice and black raspberries. But that’s not where the excitement is found. In the mouth, pure elegance, silk, satin and velvet, incredibly plush, refined, polished and long, this intensely pure Cabernet Sauvignon based wine remains on your palate for at least 60 seconds. 2010 Chateau Margaux exemplifies precision, purity, balance and elegance with a seamless finish. Everything is in balance with perfect harmony. 98-100 Pts
2010 Pavillon Rouge Smoke, cassis, oak and violets, this wine combines delicate textures, with sweet, soft berries, black and red fruits and silky tannins make up this charming Margaux wine. 91-93 Pts
2010 Marojallia Deep dark ruby color, oak, black raspberry and licorice scents are followed by a dense, round, sweet, licorice, chocolate and boysenberry filled palate. This is a rich, opulent textured Margaux wine of pleasure. 92-94 Pts
2010 Marquis d’Alesme From an assemblage of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, this Bordeaux wine reached 14% alcohol, but there is no sensation of heat in the beautiful Margaux wine. Deep purple in color, with a perfume of licorice, flowers, earth and sweet dark berries, the full bodied, round textured wine ends with a long, fresh, chocolate covered blackberry finish. With the efforts of Marjolaine Maurice De Coninck, Delphine Kolasa, new cellars and the hiring of Michel Rolland, this property is experiencing a much needed renaissance. If prices remain fair, this could be one of the top Bordeaux wines to seek out for a combination of quality and value in the Medoc. 92-94 Pts
2010 Palmer From an assemblage of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remainder Petit Verdot, the wine reached 14.5% alcohol. The beautiful, deep, purple color is almost opaque. Floral aromas are complicated with cassis, coffee, smoke, truffle, earth and boysenberry scents which jump from the glass. With intense purity, tannins that feel like hand polished silk and a beautiful, pure, long, harmonious rich finish, there is not a hard edge to be found. This opulent Margaux wine is a treat for the senses. 96-98 Pts
2010 Alter Ego 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Merlot produce a blend that offers blackberry, floral, cassis and bitter chocolate aromas. Powerful for Alter Ego, the Bordedaux wine ends with a smooth, fresh, refined finish. While the wine reached 14.4, there is no sensation of heat. 91-93 Pts
When asked about the success of the vintage in Margaux Bernard and Thomas shared that in part, the answer comes from the poor soils of the appellation. Also, Margaux is less tannic by nature. Margaux received about 35mm of rain, which is more than the other regions in the Medoc. This additional moisture allowed the vines to continue their development which gives the fruit its supple textures and additional layers of sweet fruit.
2010 Prieure-Lichine From a blend of 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the perfume offers aromas of cassis, earth, flowers and spice. Full bodied with soft tannins, the rich cassis, feminine Margaux wine ends with an elegant finish. 91-94 Pts
2010 Rauzan-Segla – Only 45% of the crop was used in the Grand Vin. Produced from an assemblage of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the Bordeaux wine reached 14% alcohol, which is slightly higher than they achieved in 2009.
Alluring scents of fresh flowers, truffle, cassis and jammy black plums combine with silk and velvet textures to produce an opulent, powerful, sensuous Margaux wine that coats your mouth with sensations of supple tannin and intense purity. When comparing this with the highly regarded 2009, it is not a question of quality or score, it’s a matter of style. The 2009 is more sensuous, while the 2010 offers more power and lift from higher acidity. 94-96 Pts.
Kolasa was worried about the potential alcohol level during fermentation, which caused to take care and not over extract. After tasting the wine he felt comfortable with how the wine turned out.
2010 Segla – Cassis, spice and oak scents, soft textures and a fresh berry finish are found in this very strong second wine. 2010 Segla should sell for about $25, which makes it a steal and it will be ready to drink on release. 89-91 Pts
2010 du Tertre is the product of a blend from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. This is unique for the property as they usually include between 10% and 20% Cabernet Franc. This assemblage created a perfume of tobacco leaf, fresh herb, and blackberries. This elegant, medium/full bodied Margaux is filled with sweet cassis, ripe tannin, floral sensations ending with soft textures and ample freshness in the finish. 90-92 Pts
Bordeaux 2010 wine Graves/Pessac Leognan reviews, tasting notes and ratings.
2010 Bouscaut – Smoke, earth, burnt wood and blackberry scents , this medium bodied Pessac Leognan wine ends with an earthy, four square finish. 87-89 Pts
2010 Branon Using a blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, this 500 case Bordeaux wine reached 14% alcohol. Scents of coffee bean, truffle, tobacco and jammy blackberry meld with a big, sweet, ripe, long, smoky, jammy berry, mocha infused, sultry textured finish. 93-96 Pts
2010 Brown is produced from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Ripe, jammy berries, cassis, earth and spice lead to a round, supple, lush style of Pessac Leognan wine. Stephane Derenoncourt is starting to turn thisBordeaux wine property around. 89-91 Pts
2010 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge From an assemblage of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, this Bordeaux wine shows a deep ruby color. With little effort, complex aromas of smoke, truffle, cassis, black cherry, earth and oak scents are easy to find. The Bordeaux wine is rich, concentrated and offers dark, earthy, black fruit that ends with a long, pure, blackberry and cassis filled finish. 93-95 Pts
2010 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc An explosion of lemon, guava, grapefruit, lime and fresh picked flowers poured over wet rocks make up the perfume. Thick, rich and incredibly concentrated, this dense, intense, Bordeaux Blanc has the perfect amount of acidity to feel bright and fresh. This was the only Pessac Leognan wine tasting that was too good to spit. I put some of it right where it belonged! 97-98Pts
2010 Clos Marsalette Produced from a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc with the help of Stephan von Neipperg will be aged in 50% new oak. Smoke, cassis, anise, earth and forest floor on the nose, with a medium body, round tannins and a dark berry, licorice and cassis finish. 89-91 Pts
2010 de France light, smoky black cherries, simple wine. 86-88 Pts
2010 de Fieuzal Produced with assistance of Hubert de Bouard of Angelus, who consults with the bordeaux wine property, the opens with oak, cassis, smoke and spicy scents. Supple on the palate, this Pessac Leognan wine ends with a sweet, licorice and blackberry filled finish. 90-92 Pts
2010 La Garde Utilizing 62% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, with a perfume of smoky blackberries and soil, this medium bodied Bordeaux wine offers round textures and finishes with a cassis and a hint of chocolate. This Pessac Leognan wine should offer pleasure early. 87-89 Pts
2010 Haut Bailly From 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, a blend similar to what they used in 2009, the 2010 vintage is the product of low yields. For a comparison, 2009 was 46 hectoliters per hectare. In 2010, due to the draught and problems with the Merlot flowering, yields were reduced to 37 hectares per hectoliter. Low yields and weather allowed the Pessac Leognan wine to reach 13.9 % alcohol, which is slightly higher than the 13.75 the property enjoyed in 2009.
Inky purple in color, with pungent aromas of smoke, licorice, truffle, spice, ash, tobacco and blackberry liqueur, the wine is concentrated, deep, rich and opulent in texture. With palate staining fruit, layers of ripe, velvety tannins and a long, pure, cassis and blackberry finish, this Bordeaux wine offers strong competition for the 2009. Veronique Sanders thinks the 2010 is a better wine. I am not sure I agree. But I do know, it’s going to be a lot of comparing 2010 with 2009, 2008, 2006 and 2005 over the next few decades. 95-97 Pts
2010 La Parde Haut Bailly – Chocolate, cassis and tobacco aromas, soft textures and a sweet boysenberry finish are what consumers can look forward to with this easy to like Pessac Leognan wine. The Bordeaux wine is a blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with 20% Cabernet Franc. According to Veronique Sanders, part of the reason for this wines success is that it includes both young Merlot vats that reached 15.5% alcohol. Yet there is no heat in the finish. 87 – 89 Pts
Tasted three times, I raised my score from 94-97 Pts to 95-97 Pts.
2010 Haut Bergey Blending 65% Cabernet Sauvignon with 35% Merlot produced a wine filled with licorice, smoke, oak and cassis. This suave, round, soft textured Bordeaux wine ends with earthy, blackberry and coffee. 91-93 Pts
2010 Haut-Brion From a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, this unique blend is made from one of the highest concentrations of Cabernet Sauvignon in the history of the property. In 2010, the Pessac Leognan wine reached 14.6% alcohol with a pH of 3.63. This combination allows for more ripeness as well as greater freshness. The effective yields are lower in 2010. Only 42% of the crop was included in the Grand Vin. For those that like statistics, 2009 Haut Brion is slightly lower in alcohol at 14.2 % alcohol with a pH of 3.9.
2010 Chateau Haut Brion is deep ruby with a purple rim that shines in the glass. The Bordeaux wine is filled with smoke, earth, hot stones, spice, blackberry, cassis and hints of licorice. Full bodied and concentrated with multiple layers of spicy, fresh, rich dark fruit and cassis flavors that fill your palate, this elegant, regal wine builds in the mouth. From the first touch on your palate, it’s difficult to imagine the incredible length found in this wine. I timed the finish twice to make sure I had not lost track of the time. I shook my watch to ensure it was running correctly. This incredible Bordeaux wine remains on your palate for close to 80 seconds! Balanced, harmonious and regal, this will be an amazing wine to experience at maturity. 98-100 Pts
2010 Le Clarence de Haut Brion With 52% Merlot 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot in the blend, the wine opens with smoke, oak, boysenberry, cassis and earthy tones. Soft cassis, flavors and a long finish make this a strong effort which is surprisingly fresh and ample for a second wine. 91-93 Pts
2010 Haut Brion Blanc – With its green tinted, straw color, waves of sweet, refined, lemon, pineapple, grapefruit rind and citrus oil coats and lingers in your mouth. The Pessac Leognan wine is made better with the perfect amount of ripeness and acidity, giving the wine sweet fresh fruit and lift. 97-98 Pts
2010 La Clarte de Haut Brion is the new second wine from Haut Brion Blanc and La Mission Haut Brion Blanc. Blending 83% Semillon with 17% Sauvignon Blanc, this straw colored wine offers scents of lemon wax, honey dew, tropical fruit and lime zest that opens to a sweet, zesty citrus filled blast of flavor. 91-93 Pts
2010 La Louviere – Smoke, blackberry and fresh herb aromas pair with round textures that conclude with a licorice, black cherry and earthy Bordeaux wine that should drink well early and offer a lot of bang for the buck. 90-92 Pts
2010 Larrivet –Haut Brion – Medium full bodied with soft textures and a sweet, spicy berry filled finish. 89-91 Pts
2010 Latour Martillac – Deeply colored, smoky, blackberry and woodsy aromas, this full bodied Bordeaux wine feels tannic, clumsy and dry 86-89 Pts
2010 Liber Pater – Produced from a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, from vines planted on deep gravelly soils, this will be aged in 100% new oak. Deep ruby with purple accents in color, the wine is filled with stone, black and blue fruit, jam, coffee and licorice scents. Fat, lush and richly textured, this opulent Bordeaux wine finishes with chocolate covered sweet berries and licorice. Production is limited to 1,500 bottles. 92-94 Pts,
2010 Malartic Lagraviere Blasting off with licorice, oak, jammy blackberries and truffle, this concentrated, deep, full bodied, lush Bordeaux wine is filled with anise and blackberry. 92-94 Pts
2010 La Mission Haut Brion, is produced from a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and a dollop of Cabernet Franc. The Bordeaux wine reached 15.1% natural alcohol with pH levels of 3.67. This picture is very different than what we saw in 2009 which was made from equal parts Merlot and cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc. 2010 is slightly higher in alcohol as the 2009 reached 14.7. Tasters who go by the numbers might have problems with the Bordeaux wine, but there was no sensation of heat. Everything was in balance.
This is a contender for the highest concentration of Cabernet Sauvignon in the history of La Mission Haut Brion. This is due to a combination of the perfect levels of ripeness reached in the Cabernet Sauvignon and the draught plagued Merlot which had problems ripening correctly.
2010 La Mission Haut Brion explodes with earth, minerals, cassis, burning embers, truffle and blackberry scents. This opens to a dense, concentrated, full bodied, tannic wine. This powerful La Mission Haut Brion is packed with mocha, cassis, blackberry and spice. Stylistically, this is a big, masculine style of Pessac Leognan that will require serious cellar time. 95-98 Pts.
2010 La Mission Haut Brion Blanc blends 81% Semillon and 19% Sauvignon Blanc to produce a perfume of honey, fresh picked flowers, grilled nuts and citrus that gets your mouth ready for a big dose of fresh, buttery lemon, banana, grapefruit and guava flavors wiith zesty acidity and freshness that lingers. 94-97 Pts
2010 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut Brion produced from 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc is filled with smoke, tar, blackberry and tobacco scents. Full bodied, with layers of chocolate covered blackberries that end with a blast of fresh, juicy cassis. 91-93 Pts
2010 Olivier delivers fresh cassis, tobacco and blackberry aromas. Medium bodied, this finesse styled Bordeaux wine ends with an earthy, cassis and fresh herb finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Pape Clement – Black in color, smoke, truffle, burning wood, jammy blackberry, earth and hot stone aromas are found with ease. This concentrated, powerful wine is filled with sweet, ripe, boysenberry, cassis and licorice. Polished, supple and opulent in texture, the Bordeaux wine ends with a long pure fresh, blackberry liqueur sensation. 94-97 Pts
Produced from gravel, sand and clay terroir and planted to the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc in the Graves, 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Pessac Leognan wine is produced with the efforts of Stephane Derenoncourt.
2010 Smith Haut Lafitte 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and a dollop of Petit Verdot formed the assemblage. Deeply colored and filled with smoke, cassis, jam and licorice coated dark berry aromas, this rich, juicy, concentrated Bordeaux wine ends with a long opulent, fat, sweet, jammy black fruit and vanilla finish. 94-95 Pts
2010 Le Thil – With smoke, spicy berries and fennel scents, round textures and a sweet, chocolate, blackberry filled finish, this remains one of the top values in Bordeaux wine for the 2010 vintage. 90-92 Pts
2010 Pomerol Bordeaux Wine reviews, tasting notes and ratings.
2010 Bon Pasteur This is the home estate of Michel Rolland. The Bordeaux wine opens with black cherry, coffee, black raspberry and 5 spice aromas which lead the way to a round, soft, sweet, licorice, mocha and black cherry filled Pomerol wine. 91-93 Pts
2010 Bourgneuf Floral, earth and plum aromas couple with a medium bodied Bordeaux wine that ends in a soft textured, black cherry finish that will drink well early. 88-90 Pts
2010 Certan de May Tuffles, flowers, blackberry and plum aromas meld with supple textures and round tannins that end in a soft, chocolate, black cherry Pomerol finish 91-93 Pts
2010 La Clemence Plums, flowers, chocolate, licorice and ripe, sweet jammy boysenberry scents pair well with chocolate covered plums, fennel and rich, opulent textures in this lush Bordeaux wine. 91-93 Pts
2010 Clinet owner, Ronan Laborde, used what he called a classic Pomerol blend of 85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. At 14.6 % alcohol, than they achieved in 2009. Effective yields are also lower than in 2009. In fact, they are close to 25% less, which means there will be a lot less wine in the marketplace from this outstanding vintage. Opaque in color, explosive, floral, plum, black fruit, jammy berry, oak, chocolate and black raspberry scents create a beguiling perfume. This complex, spicy Bordeaux wine coats your palate with layers of pure, sweet, ripe plums. This is a hedonistic, sensuous style of Pomerol that blends intensity with pleasure and chocolate covered ripe fruit. 95-97 Pts.
2010 L’Enclos Simple easy going, correctly made Pomerol without fault or distinction. 87-89 Pts
2010 Clos L’Eglise, From 80% Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc 14.5% alcohol deep purple color, mocha, chocolate, flowers, black raspberry, vanilla and truffle scents. Mouth filling, lush and opulent, this Bordeaux wine ends with a long, deep, jammy blackberry and licorice sensation. 93-95 Pts
2010 La Conseillante La Conseillante Produced from an assemblage of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, (which is the same as the vineyard plantings,) the wine is slightly higher in alcohol than what they achieved in 2009 at 14.5% . Due to the high levels of acidity from 3.69 pH, there is no sensation of heat. Floral, chocolate, truffle and black raspberry liqueur aromas exude from the glass. Dark and powerful, a unique character for La Conseillante, the Bordeauxd wine is rich, intens and filled with plum liqueur, chocolate and black cherry. The wine combines freshness, silky textures and a sense of refined elegance, with the volume turned up. Jean- Michel Laporte feels 2010 is in the same style as 2005. 95-96 Pts
2010 Duo With 95% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, the Bordeaux wine is round, plummy easy to drink and will show well on release 88-89 Pts
2010 La Croix St. Georges produced from 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc is aged in 100% new oak of which 50% is a unique cigar shaped, oak barrel. The Bordeaux wine reached 14.5% alcohol. On the nose, oak, flowers, cherry blossom, mocha and coca powder. Full bodied, concentrated and flashy in texture, the wine ends with fresh, a black cherry and chocolate finish. 91-93 Pts
2010 L’Eglise Clinet 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc was used for the assemblage in 2010 which reached 14.6% alcohol and a pH of 3.62. Those figures equal what took place in the 2009 vintage. The Pomerol wine will be aged in 70% new oak.
Fresh picked flowers, spice box, black raspberry, earth, clay and chocolate scents pop from the glass. In texture, the wine is suave, luscious and powerful. The finish is filled with sweet ripe, plums and chocolate that builds in the mouth ending with a long, fresh, pure, intense blackberry liqueur sensation. The only drawback in 2010 according to the owner Denis Durantou is, they produced 20% less Bordeaux wine, making this Pomerol even harder to find than usual. 96-98 Pts
2010 Petite Eglise from 100% Merlot offers jammy berries, licorice and chocolate covered plums with a medium body that ends with chocolate plum finish 88-90 Pts
2010 L’Enclos 95% Merlot 5% Cabernet Franc chocolate, black fruit – green dry finish 87-89
2010 L’Evangile With only 31 hecoliters per hectare, yields were low in 2010. From an assemblage of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, Jean-Pascal Vazart confirmed the wine reached a record high for the property at 14.7% alcohol with a pH of 3.75. This unique combination of high alcohol and acidity allows the Bordeaux wine to feel fresh on your palate. Deep in color, fresh flowers, chocolate, black and red plums, black cherry and truffle make a complex perfume. Rich, concentrated, plush with freshness, the wine finishes with creamy chocolate covered dark berries, licorice and plum liqueur. This Bordeaux wine could increase in score as it evolves. 94-95 Pts
2010 Feytit Clinet Dense in color, chocolate covered black fruit, blueberry, plum and truffles make up the perfume. Dense, rich, fat, suave and polished, this rich Bordeaux wine offers length, persistence, balance and purity of Pomerol flavor. 92-95 Pts
2010 La Fleur Petrus Fresh picked flowers, Valhrona chocolate and boysenberry liqueur perfume entices your palate to experience layers of refined, silk and velvet plums and black cherries. Luscious, ripe, rich, pure, sweet and long, the Bordeaux wine ends with a chocolate coated, fresh black raspberry liqueur finish 94-96
2010 Le Gay. In 2010, with the help of the new managing director, Jerome Ducasse, (who replaced Jean-Christophe Meyrou,) the estate produced a wine from blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Scents of oak, flowers, jammy black raspberries and chocolate are coupled with a concentrated, juicy black and red plum finish. 92-94 Pts
2010 Gazin Black raspberry, floral and bitter chocolate aromas pair well with the soft, rich, long plum, licorice and chocolate finish. 91-93 Pts
2010La Grave a Pomerol La Grave Trigant de Boisset chocolate, spice, floral and blackberry aromas, medium/full bodied, elegant, supple, cassis and cherry finish. Deeper and more refined than usual, this is the best La Grave Trigant de Boisset Pomerol I recall tasting 90-91 Pts
2010 Hosanna Deep ruby in color, this Bordeaux wine is filled with chocolate, boysenberry, floral and truffle scents. Full bodied, rich and silky in texture, the Pomerol wine ends with a luscious chocolate covered cherry and spice finish 95-96 Pts
2010 Lafleur set a record for this legendary Pomerol Bordeaux wine when they blended 62% Cabernet Franc 38% Merlot, 14% alcohol, same as 2009 this is the highest concentration of Cabernet Franc ever used at Lafleur. For those that like to compare, in 2009, the Bordeaux wine was produced from 53% Cabernet Franc and 47% Merlot.
The owner, Jacques Guinaudeau said, “They used more Cabernet Franc at Chateau Lafleur in 2010 to remain a Bordeaux wine, as it offers better balance.” He added, “At Lafleur, we focus on ripeness and the textures of tannins, We strive to achieve elegance, balance and purity.” That’s three good things in my book.
2010 Lafleur A cornucopia of fragrances pop from the glass, cherry blossoms, sweet black raspberry, earth, truffle, forest floor, leaves and plum liqueur are found in abundance. Intense and concentrated, the wine pairs power and purity ending with a long, fresh, ripe sweet red and black fruit finish. With its unique texture, this is the essence of Pomerol. 97-99 Pts
2010 Pensees de Lafleur is produced from 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc. Pensees de Lafleur comes from a selection of terroir, not young vines. Aside from a shorter maceration time, the Bordeaux wine is produced with the same care that is received by Lafleur. The wine shows truffle, black cherry liqueur and minerality that couples with soft textures ending with black cherries 90-92 Pts
2010 Lafleur Gazin The property takes its name from its strategic location, next to Lafleur and Gazin and not from Petrus. Earth, chocolate, and spicy plum flavors are found in this medium bodied Bordeaux wine that ends with a fresh, blackberry, cocoa powder and cherry finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Latour a’ Pomerol Truffle, forest floor, chocolate and cherry aromas open to a supple, medium/full bodied, soft textured Bordeaux wine that ends with a black cherry, licorice finish 89-91 Pts
2010 Montviel Medium bodied with plum, black raspberry and cherry notes, this Bordeaux wine will drink well shortly after release. 86-89 Pts
2010 Le Moulin This Pomerol opens coffee, blackberry and plum scented wine offers a medium/full bodied that finishes with coffee and dark berry sensations. 89-91 Pts
2010 Nenin – From a blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc, the Bordeaux wine reached 13.9% alcohol. Ruby colored with floral, chocolate and plum scents, for a Pomerol this has a stern personality. Boysenberry, coca and plum are found in the finish. 89-91 Pts
2010 Petit Village Produced from 73% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc, this medium bodied, soft textured Pomerol offers light cherry, plum, coca powder and licorice. 89-91 Pts
2010 Petrus From 100% Merlot, the wine reached 14.5% alcohol, the same level achieved in 2009. In a discussion with Olivier Berrouet, he said “In 2010, the key to making great Bordeaux wine was avoiding over extraction due to the combination of high alcohol coupled with high acidity levels.” Berrouet added, “To avoid even higher levels of alcohol, they reduced green harvesting and like many top properties, they only allowed for daily pump overs. The previous Petrus winemaker and father of Olivier Berrouet, Jean Claude Berrouet was also at the tasting. When asked, Jean Claude said he was worried about how well the current vintages of Bordeaux wine would age.
I have no doubt about how Bordeaux wine like this will age. Remember, 1947 Cheval Blanc was over 15%. The few lucky wine lovers that have been able to taste ’47 Cheval today can attest to how well that Bordeaux wine has aged.
2010 Petrus – This deep ruby tinted wine opens with complex aromatics of flowers, black raspberry, jammy plums and chocolate. Powerful, structured, intense, deep, structured and, mouth coating with densely packed ripe, racy plums. Elegance, sensuality and refined power ending with a complex finish that remains on your palate for close to one full minute that morphs from dark spicy fruit to red berries. Petrus fanatics will be forced to pay even more money for the 2010 Bordeaux wine as the estate produced 10% less Pomerol wine in this vintage they did in 2009. The Bordeaux wine will be aged in 50% new oak for 18-20 months, 97-100 Pts
2010 Le Pin fills the room with pungent scents of oak, spice, exotic citrus oils, smoke, plums, fennel and fresh flowers. The Bordeaux wine drenches your palate with silky, velvet laced textures and waves of rich, ripe, sweet, pure extract of plum liqueur, Maraschino cherries and orange rind. The long, seamless, intense finish is pure decadence. 97-99 Pts
Le Pin is one of the most interesting Pomerol wines to taste. Aside from amazing high prices, its main problem is, the wine lacks consistency. It doesn’t always perform as one would expect. Yet, when it is on, Le Pin is a wine without peer. 2010 Le Pin is set to be one of the best Le Pin’s ever produced!
2010 Plince Medium bodied, soft and light textured, the offers spicy red plums and feminine textures. 86-88 Pts
2010 La Pointe From an assemblage of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc Soft entry, stony, plummy, structured Pomerol this chateau gets a little better each year thanks to efforts of Hubert de Bouard began consulting the property. 87-89Pts
2010 Providence Truffle, 5 spice, jammy black raspberry, licorice and cocoa powder aromas open to a refined, elegant, polished Pomerol. Black cherry, ch0colate, licorice and raspberry find their way to the finish which builds in intensity. 93-95 Pts
2010 Sacre Coeur makes it debut in 2010. This small .6 hectare estate owned by Jean-Philippe Janoueix sits on sandy clay soils. Janoueix plans to focus on organic farming for this Pomerol wine. Produced from 100% Merlot, the wine reached 14.4% alcohol and will be aged in 100% new oak. Oak, floral, earth and raspberry notes are found in the perfume. Medium bodied, with round textures, the wine finishes with chocolate, spicy plum, jam and blackberry. 89-91 Pts
2010 Trotanoy Deep ruby in color, flowers, truffle, Asian spice and earthy scented. Opulent, rich, supple, and luxurious, the refined black and red fruit Bordeaux wine is very strong. But it seems restrained, like a race horse being held back from entering into a full gallop. This is not at the level of the other worldly 2008 or 2009. Those vintages remain the modern day reference points for Trotanoy. 95-97 Pts
Vieux Chateau Certan The chateau produces Bordeaux wine in vintages that favor Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, or Merlot. 2010 as well as 2009 are vintages where the Merlot clearly excelled and became the preponderance of the blend. The assemblage in this vintage is 86%Merlot, 8% Cab Franc 6% Cab Sauvignon. This is even more dominated by Merlot than the 2009, which came in at 84% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc. Shaped by low yields and high alcohol, the Bordeaux wine clocked in at 14.5% alcohol. The IPT levels are equally high at 90. As a point of reference, this level of IPT recorded in 2010 is the same as the chateau recorded in their press wine a decade ago.
Alexandre Thienpont, the lanky, soft spoken, bespectacled and witty owner of the property compared the two most recent vintages with previous Bordeaux legends from the property. He said, “2010 is close to 1950, while 2009 resembles 1948.” When asked why neither vintage reminded him of 1947, he slyly replied, “The 47 was even more potent!” He added, “The 1948 was the silkier wine of the pair.” If God could grant me one wine wish, it might be to find out for myself I casually mentioned. Theinpont smiled. I questioned him if they had any old bottles left. He shook his head from left to right, indicating no. He concluded with, his family liked to drink far too much. We both laughed and began tasting his newest Pomerol vintage.
Having spent a good amount of time with Thienpont over the years I know he prefers vintages favoring either Cabernet Franc, or Cabernet Franc and Merlot blends. Yet, he made me keenly aware 2009 and 2010 are reference years for the property. I questioned him about the dichotomy. He tackled the issue saying that while he realizes the Bordeaux wines of 2009 and 2010 are extraordinary, for a meal, he still prefers vintages like 2001. His answer was as complicated as Vieux Chateau Certan. I’m going to discuss this with him when we have the opportunity for lunch over a few bottles the next time I am in Bordeaux.
2010 Vieux Chateau Certan resembles dark, purple ink. Exotic liqueur aromas, plums, truffle, flowers, chocolate and spice aromas are found with little effort. The mouth filling wine paints your palate with sexy, ripe, liquid silk sensations. Spice, rich black licorice, pure plum and blackberry flavors coat your taste receptors. The long, seamless, intense, pure finish was too good to spit. When Alexandre was not looking, I put the Bordeaux wine where it belonged, twice! Sadly, this will not be cheap. However, if you’re seeking a historic Pomerol legend in the making, this is the Bordeaux wine to buy. 99-100 Pts
2010 La Violette From 100% old Merlot vines located on the Pomerol plateau, the Bordeaux wine pops with scents of violets, chocolate, black raspberry jam, licorice and truffle. In the mouth, lush black plum, dark cherry and earthy flavors are discovered in the finish. 92-94 Pts
2010 Vray Croix de Gay The property increased the percentage of Cabernet Franc in the wine to 25% from 10% starting with the 2010 vintage. The remainder of this Pomerol is Merlot. Showing deep color, floral, chocolate, jammy black raspberry and earthy scents open to a medium/full bodied Bordeaux wine that’s filled with round, supple blackberry and ripe plums. 89-91 Pts
2010 Lalande de Pomerol
2010 La Chenade lalande de Pomerol 80% Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc combine to make a medium bodied, lighter, Pomerol styled wine. 85-87 Pts
2010 De Chambrun Lalande de Pomerol 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc are combined to produce a wine filled with licorice and plum, aromas. Suave, plush and easy to like, the Bordeaux wine ends with a chocolate covered plum finish. This is a crowd pleasing Pomerol styled wine. 87-89 Pts
2010 De Chambrun Le Bourg Lalande de Pomerol – Owned by Silvo Denzo, who counts Faugeres amongst his holdings produces this Bordeaux wine from a .7 hectare parcel of 35 year old vines planted to 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Yields were impressively low at 19 hls/ha. The wine will be aged in 100% new oak. Deep purple colored with plum, licorice, floral and truffle aromas, the Bordeaux wine offers rich textures, round, sweet, plum and chocolate flavors and a long black and red fruit finish. 90-93 Pts
2010 Les Cruzelles From a blend of 90% Merlot 10% Cabernet Franc, Denis Durantou produced a wine from Lalande de Pomerol that could compete with several much more expensive Pomerol wines. Jammy berries, licorice, plums and chocolate covered raspberries open to a soft textured, charming, elegant, plummy wine that should drink well early. 89-91 Pts
2010 La Graviere Lalande de Pomerol Easy to understand, medium bodied, berry and cherry flavored, Bordeaux wine. 85-87 Pts
2010 Haut Musset Lalande de Pomerol simple earth coco black cherry buy it drink 84-87 Pts
2010 La Fleur de Bouard La Fleur de Bouard 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon combine to produce a wine that opens with scents of coca powder, fresh ripe black raspberry and chocolate. The round, supple textured Bordeaux wine ends with black cherry, plum and bitter chocolate. 90-92 Pts
2010 La Fleur de Bouard Le Plus is produced from 100% Merlot, from the oldest vines in their vineyards. The vines are situated in a single 4 hectare bock. The small, 250 cases production is aged in 100% new oak for 33 months. Oak, chocolate, black raspberry jam, flowers and spice aromas open to a rich, thick, long, chocolate, black cherry, jammy plum and bittersweet chocolate finish in this exciting Bordeaux wine. 92-94 Pts
2010 St. Emilion Bordeaux wine tasting notes, reviews and ratings for close to 100 different wines from the appellation.
2010 Adaugusta 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from vines that average 40 year of age produced a medium bodied Bordeaux wine with jammy blackberries, fennel and a soft, kirsch finish. 86-88 Pts
2010 Angelus From an assemblage of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc, this inky purple Bordeaux wine sports a beautiful sheen. Licorice, coffee, jammy black and red fruits, earth and stone aromas are found with little effort. The full boded, rich, concentrated wine feels sexy and plush with its cashmere tannins. The long, intense, balanced finish ends with licorice, chocolate and pure, black plum liqueur sensations. Hubert de Bouard prefers this to his 2005 St. Emilion, which for me, remains the benchmark wine for Chateau Angelus. At this point in time, I do not agree with Hubert. But it’s going to be fun comparing those and other vintages over the next several decades. 96-98 Pts
2010 Les Asteries 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc minerality, licorice, black raspberry, chocolate, full bodied, structured, tannic Bordeaux wine with a stone and black cherry finish. 90-92 Pts
2010 Ausone From a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot, the Bordeaux wine will be aged in 100% new oak for about 20 months. 67% of the yields were placed into Ausone, the remainder will become Chapelle d’Ausone . The nose offers aromas of broken rocks, sweet, ripe, dark berries, licorice, flowers, spice, minerality and smoke. Full bodied, rich, and concentrated, this supple, polished St. Emilion wine is filled with fresh berries, freshness, spice, jam, fennel, minerality and black cherry in the finish. 95-97 Pts
2010 Chapelle d’Ausone 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon produce the blend. Like its big brother, the Bordeaux wine will be aged in 100% new oak for about 20 months. This is the debut vintage for Chapelle d’Ausone to feature a large percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the assemblage. Smoke, cassis, stone and fresh blackberry aromas pair with a medium full bodied, sweet, round, tannic, blackberry and chocolate finish 92-93 Pts
2010 Balestard La Tonnelle is filled with licorice, fresh berries and minerality. 88-90 Pts
2010 Barde Haut is produced from a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc,14.5% licorice, black cherry, chocolate and coffee bean espresso are easy to find in this sexy Bordeaux wine. Luxurious and mouth-filling, fat, licorice and ripe, black plums are found in finish. 92-93 Pts
2010 Beau-Sejour Becot From an assemblage of 70% Merlot 25% Cabernet Franc with the remainder split evenly between Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, this lovely Bordeaux wine opens with a perfume of crushed stone, licorice, jammy black plums and floral scents. Soft and opulently textured, this fresh, sweet, ripe St. Emilion wine ends with a mouthful of anise, minerality, red and black fruits. 92-94 Pts
2010 Beausejour Duffau-Lagreosse Produced with help from St. Emilion’s dynamic duo, Stephan Deroncourt and Nicholas Thienpont, this is the second year in a row, Bordeaux wine close to the level of the legendary 1990 was produced. However, it’s possible that 2010 could eclipse the 1990 in 20 years! A blend of 73% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon produced a black/purple colored wine. The wine coats glass as you swirl to find the licorice, minerals and ripe, spicy ripe black fruit scents. Powerful, intensely concentrated, sweet and mouth coating, this is a hedonistic thrill to sip that also gives you something to think about. The opulent Bordeaux wine ends with a long, fresh, complex, seamless finish of intense purity of fruit and stone that grows in your mouth and lasts over sixty seconds! 98-100 Pts
2010 Belair-Monange With aromas of charcoal, stone, licorice and red with black fruits, this Bordeaux wine offers silky, supple textures and a deep, licorice infused, long, mineral, ripe plum and cassis finish. 94-95 Pts
2010 Bellevue 98% Merlot with the remaining smidgeon Cabernet Franc, this wine comes from the recently acquired property located across the street from Chateau Angelus. Hubert de Bouard thinks the terroir is as good, or better than much of the Angelus terroir. This opaque colored Bordeaux wine shows a perfume of licorice, minerality and spice. Rich, opulent textures concentrated with ripe spicy fruit, the wine ends with boysenberry, chocolate, mineral and fennel. 92-94 Pts
2010 Cadet Bon 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc open to licorice, spice, jammy berry and minerality aromas. Soft and round in texture, the wine ends with a sweet, ripe, rich, blackberry finish. Slightly more than 1,000 cases were produced of this Bordeaux wine. 90-92 Pts
2010 Canon – From 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, (which is the same mix as found in the vineyards,) the wine is deep ruby in color and reached 14.8% alcohol. Yet, there is no sensation of heat. People who prefer tasting by the numbers could have problems with this Bordeaux wine, but I loved it! An intoxicating perfume filled with minerality, licorice, black raspberry jam, hints of oak and chocolate, this is the richest, most concentrated St. Emilion wine produced by the Kolasa team yet. Thick, intense and filled with fresh, perfectly ripe plums, blackberries and licorice, the wine feels great as it falls over your palate and coats your mouth. 94-96 Pts.
Kolasa stated this is not the usual style for Canon. During fermentation, Due to its unique style, Kolasa has some fears about the wines ability to age. Tempering his remarks, he added, this is probably how the winemakers felt about 1947, when that vintage was produced. We all know how that turned out.
The vineyards are currently planted to 25% Cabernet Franc. This will be increased to 35% over time. According to the director John Kolasa, “At Canon the goal is to produce a Bordeaux wine that will age and improve for decades. Canon is not at its best when drunk young”. Canon now includes some fruit from the replanting that was done in 1998. New plantings are taking place with Cabernet Franc vines.
2010 Canon La Gaffeliere Low yields of 28 hecoliters per hectare produced a blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that will be aged in 70% new oak. Licorice, chocolate mint, spice, jammy black raspberries, silky lush textures and long, fresh, sweet chocolate cherry expansive finish are the hall marks of this Bordeaux wine. 93-95 Pts
2010 Cap de Mourlin Licorice, plums, coco powder and oak, medium bodied, soft textures and a red and black plum finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Le Carre 85% Merlot and Cabernet Franc 15% 14.65% alcohol deep color stony black cherry, toast, round textured, black cherry, oak with some dryness in the finish. 89-92 Pts
2010 Cheval Blanc Produced from a higher percentage of Cabernet Franc than usual, 56% Cabernet Franc, with the remaining 34% percent relegated to Merlot; that assemblage is similar to what is planted in the vineyards today. The Bordeaux wine reached 14.5% alcohol with a 3.75 pH, allowing for a rich, ripe wine that is also alcoholic and fresh. Placing your nose into this wine reminds you of walking into a flower shop. The aromatics are further complicated with scents of stone, oak, truffle, caramel and black cherry. Pairing delicacy with power, this is an elegant, deep, Bordeaux wine of finesse, purity and refinement. Part of the reason for this St. Emilion wines success is the long and exacting time spent harvesting the fruit. The estate took three weeks to conclude picking. Previously, they finished the harvest in two weeks. 96-98 Pts
2010 Le Petit Cheval From 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, this medium bodied wine is filled with coco powder, black cherry and licorice, coupled with freshness and round textures. 90-92 Pts
2010 Clos Badon Thunevin From almost 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the Bordeaux wine offers scents of licorice, jammy dark berries and oak ending in a soft, sweet, fennel and blackberry finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Clos de Sarpe An assemblage of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc from very old vines situated on stony soils produced a massive wall of dark fruit, rocks and tannin, with a ripe black plum finish. 92-94 Pts
2010 Clos Dubreuil Dark purple in color, with licorice, smoke, coffee, earth and spice filled aromatics gets even better with the Bordeaux wines decadent palate fee and chocolate covered, dark, black cherry finish. 91-93 Pts
2010 Clos des Jacobins Produced with the efforts of Hubert de Bouard from Chateau Angelus, this Bordeaux property keeps getting better, one step at a time. Earthy, pepper, herbs, plums and coffee aromas catch your interest. The soft, round textures, freshness and vanilla infused black raspberry finish is a pleasure to experience. 90-93 Pts
2010 Clos Fourtet With a clay and limestone terroir, the vineyards are located close to the center of the St. Emilion village abutting Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot. From an assemblage of 87% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Franc, this Bordeaux wine reached 14.5 alcohol. Intense aromas of jammy dark berries, black licorice, minerality and plum liqueur lead the way to a sexy, opulent and multi-layered Bordeaux wine with waves of sweet, rich, juicy fruit. The long finish ends with a mouthful of rich, licorice coated dark berries and cassis. 95-96 Pts
2010 Clos de l’Oratoire. From low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare and a biodynamic approach, the property produced a wine from a blend of 95% Merlot and Cabernet Franc that will be aged in 75% new oak. Vanilla, fennel, black cherry, fresh herbs, lush textures, silky tannins, sweet licorice covered jammy berries and chocolate 92-94 Pts
2010 Clos La Madeleine Spice, berries, licorice, oak and intense minerality, rich fruit, supple textures and a long, fresh licorice, stone and plum filled finish. This breakout Bordeaux vintage is the finest wine from this estate I’ve ever tasted. Situated just outside the village next to Belair-Monange, the St. Emilion winery is consulted by Hubert de Bouard of Chateau Angelus, and the improvement shows. 91-93 Pts
2010 Clos St. Martin, the smallest classified St. Emilion wine in the Bordeaux appellation comes from a 1.33-hectare vineyard. Planted to 7,000 vines/ha, with an average age of 31 years. The terroir consists on clay and limestone soils over the limestone plateau. Smoke, mineral, licorice, oak, and jammy berry scents open to a supple, ripe, silky textured concentrated wine ends with a long fresh, black cherry, spice and licorice finish. 94-95 Pts
2010 La Clotte from limestone, sand and clay terroir, this is the first vintage that the owner included Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend which consists of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and the remainder, Cabernet Sauvignon. Licorice, minerality, chocolate mint and plum aromas with soft textures, medium/full bodied and a fresh black cherry finish. Due to its high quality, great style and low price, this Bordeaux wine is often purchased by many of St. Emilion’s most famous wine makers. 91-93 Pts
2010 La Confession 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc form the assemblage that came in at 14.7% alcohol that will be aged in 40% cigar shaped barrels. Deep ruby in color, the wine offers oak, blackberry, licorice and stone aromas. Fleshy in texture, this soft, ripe wine is filled with licorice, black cherry, spice and mocha. 91-93 Pts
2010 Cote de Baleau. 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, (the same portions the vineyard is planted in) make-up the blend. Licorice, 5 spice and black cherry scents open to a medium bodied, fennel and black cherry filled winish. Lovers of well-priced St. Emilion Bordeaux wine should be all over this wine. 89-91 Pts
2010 Corbin Deep colored, mineral driven, licorice, jammy berry, spice and sweet black cherry open to a rich, plush, round, deep Bordeaux wine. This is a big step up for Annabelle Cruse. It’s the best Corbin I have ever tasted. 91-93 Pts
2010 La Couspade Oak, coffee, licorice, smoke, chocolate and jammy berries open to a plush, ripe, round Bordeaux wine that should drink well shortly after release. 89-91 Pts
2010 Croix de Labrie is produced from 100% old vine Merlot. Licorice, spice, crushed stone and ripe dark berries pair with ripe tannins, a lush, sexy, opulent mouth feel and rich, plummy textures. This is a truly sensuous, hedonistic Bordeaux wine made for pleasure seekers. Not much is made, which is too bad as St. Emilion wines like this deserve more attention. 94-95 Pts
2010 Daugay 68% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon make a licorice infused, jammy red and black fruit filled wine that will make for easy drinking 86-88 Pts
2010 Le Dome 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot combined to produce what’s probably the wine with the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux in the vintage. The wine reached reached 14.58% alcohol with a pH 3.8. A deep purple color leads into a licorice, floral, oak, and spicy blackberry perfume, plush textures and a finish that offers oak, coco and black cherries. About 1,000 cases were produced of this unique St. Emilion Bordeaux wine. 91-94 Pts
2010 La Dominique sports an earthy, mineral, plum, licorice and blackberry nose. The medium bodied Bordeaux wine finishes with a cassis and cherry finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Edmus Produced from an assemblage of 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, with vines that average 40 years of age, the wine reached 14% alcohol. Licorice and blackberry aromas, medium body and a light red and black fruit finish. 87-88 Pts
2010 Faugeres From a blend of 85% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon, the wine will be aged in 50% new oak for about 14 months. Licorice, bitter chocolate, boysenberry aromatics, plush, soft, round textures and a ripe, chocolate and black cherry finish are found in this Bordeaux wine. 90-91 Pts
2010 Figeac Fresh herbs, dark ripe berries, licorice, cassis and green peppercorn aromas fill the perfume. Full bodied, tannic and slightly austere in character, with intensity, licorice and bright black cherry flavors, this is a successful vintage for the traditionally styled Figeac. 92-94 Pts
2010 Fleur Cardinale From an 18 hectare, clay and limestone vineyard, located next to Valandraud and across the street from Faugeres, Florence and Dominique Decoster put a lot of effort into their 2010, Bordeaux wine starting with reducing their yields to 36 hectoliters per hectare. With its deep color, cassis, blackberry, licorice and jammy liqueur aromas exude from the glass. This full bodied wine offers layers of opulent dark fruit ending with a fresh, licorice, blackberry, dark cherry and chocolate finish. From an assemblage of 78% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, the wine reached 14.5% alcohol. This is the best wine from the estate since the outstanding 2005. For consumers not familiar with this property, they remain one of the top Bordeaux wines combining price and quality. 93-95 Pts
2010 Fonbel 66% Merlot 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 7% Carmenere opened with jammy berries, licorice and floral scents. Medium bodied and soft textured, the Bordeaux wine ends with a licorice and sweet jammy berry finish 89-91 Pts
2010 Fombrauge Minerals, coffee, cassis and spice aromas open to a medium bodied wine, elegant textures and a dark berry, cassis and fennel finish that was slightly marred by a hint of tartness. 89-91 Pts
2010 Fonplegade From 91% Merlot 5 % Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in 80% new oak, this is the first vintage for the new managing director Jean-Christophe Meyrou, who previously occupied the same position at Le Gay and La Violette in Pomerol. Malolactic finished in late March, the Bordeaux wine was just opening up when tasted. Licorice, spice, jammy berries and vanilla scents opened to a wine with medium/full body, round textures and a ripe licorice, spice and jammy berry finish. 89-91 Pts
2010 Franc Mayne Fennel, jammy black cherries, espresso and cassis scents, medium/full bodied with round textures and a juicy, blackberry, licorice and red plum finish. 90-92
2010 La Gaffeliere From an assemblage of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with its deep ruby color, licorice, smoke, jammy dark berry and coffee aromas is a treat. Rich, polished, tannic, black and red fruits are found in the finish. 93-95 Pts
2010 Godeau is located not far from Tertre Roteboeuf and Troplong Mondot. Stephane Derenoncourt started consulting the property in 2007. 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc produce the blend. Deep ruby in color, with a licorice, mineral, floral and jammy black raspberry aromatic profile, the Bordeaux wine ends with a fleshy, black plum filled finish. The wine will be aged in 33% new oak for 12 months. 90-92 Pts
2010 La Gomerie produced from 100% Merlot offers deep color, silky textures, licorice, with melted black cherries, earth and truffle scents. Sensuous in texture, the Bordeaux wine ends in opulent layers of ripe black raspberries and licorice. 92-94 Pts
2010 Gracia 80 % Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc came in at 15% alcohol. Oak, spicy berry, licorice and chocolate covered blackberry nose. Round texture, full bodied and concentrated with a long dark cherry, fennel and jammy blackberry finish. 91-93
2010 Les Angelots Gracia 80 % Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc combined to produce a St. Emilion wine that 14.5% alcohol. The nose offers a perfume of oak, licorice, plums and jammy blackberries. Supple in texture, the round, ripe wine finishes with anise and sweet blackberry jam. 90-92 Pts
2010 Grandes Murailles – This tiny, 1.46-hectare Bordeaux wine vineyard is planted to 100% Merlot on clay and limestone soils. Licorice, minerality, coco powder, fresh jammy berry scents and oak pair well with the opulent, round textures and rich layers of juicy ripe, licorice coated black cherries. 92-94 Pts
2010 Grand Mayne Deep dark ruby colored, this rich, ripe, round textured wine offers a big, fresh, juicy mouthful of licorice, fleshy berries, spice and chocolate. This St. Emilion wine ends with a long ripe, plum, blackberry and fennel finish which offers real character. This is the best Bordeaux wine I’ve tasted from Grand Mayne. 92-94 Pts
2010 Haut Simard Making its debut in 2010 from the team at Chateau Ausone, this 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc blend is not to be confused with Simard. Haut Simard comes from a different terroir and will be aged in 50% new oak. Licorice, oak, jammy black raspberry and floral aromas work well with the suave texture and ripe, chocolate and blackberry finish. 89-91 Pts
2010 La Fleur Morange Mathilde is made from 100% old vine Merlot. Old being the operative word as the average of the vines is 50 years! Opening with aromas of stone, licorice, plums and blueberries, this concentrated wine finishes with plush, chocolate, licorice and jammy dark berries. This is another Bordeaux wine that deserves an award for continually pairing high quality, character and fair prices. The St. Emilion wine will be aged in 50% new oak. 91-93 Pts
2010 Laforge, which takes its name from the trade of a former owner who was a blacksmith, is produced from 92% merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Licorice, spicy blackberry and earth aromas, medium/full bodied, round textures and a finish filled with chocolate covered black cherries. 90-93 Pts
2010 Larcis Ducasse The color of dark, purple ink, pungent aromas of crushed stone, fresh ground spice, licorice, and intense jammy berries lead the wine to a powerful, rich, dense, sexy mouthful of opulent, juicy fruit. This Bordeaux wine coats your palate. Long, pure and incredibly rich, this offers competition to the sublime 2005 Larcis Ducasse. 95-97 Pts
2010 Larmande Using 51% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc and a small portion Petit Verdot, the wine opens with licorice, blackberry and cassis scents. Medium/full bodied, the Bordeaux wine ends with a cherry, chocolate and fennel finish. 88-90
2010 Lucia comes from a 3.06-hectare vineyard, part of which was planted in 1901 to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The Bordeaux wine expresses licorice, black cherry and spice aromas. Plushly textured and filled with ripe jammy berries, with its open style, this St. Emilion wine should be fun to drink shortly after release. 91-93 Pts
2010 Laroze Spicy dark berries, medium body Hubert de Bouard consults 89-91 pts
2010 Magdelaine From a vineyard located just outside of the St. Emilion village, licorice, oak, black raspberry and minerality aromas pair with a medium bodied, traditionally styled Bordeaux wine that ends with a bright, anise, red and black fruit finish. 90-92 Pts
2010 Magrez Fombrauge With its inky, jet black color, this exciting wine says hello with oak, licorice, chocolate, black cherry and blackberry aromas. Mouth coating, paced and stacked with a lot of intensity, this rich pure Bordeaux wine stains your palate with multiple layers of licorice, chocolate and dark plums. 95-96 Pts
2010 La Mondotte comes from a 4.5-hectare vineyard that produced wine in this vintage from the ridiculously low yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare from vines that average 70 years of age. 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc formed the assemblage that will be aged in 100% new oak. The Bordeaux wine reached 14.% alcohol, but with one of the lowest pH numbers I found in this vintage, 3.2, there is a lot of freshness and pop to this wine. Inky black with purple accents, licorice, stone, black fruit, jam, spice and mocha aromas rocket from the glass. Concentrated with luscious, ripe, opulent berries, this tannic, St. Emilion wine is expansive on the palate, finishing with waves of fresh, pure black cherry liqueur, licorice and minerality. I asked Neipperg if producing a Bordeaux wine like this was risky. He responded with a smile saying, “No risk, no fun.” 96-97 Pts
2010 Moulin St. Georges From an assemblage of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the Bordeaux wine will be aged in 100% new, lightly toasted oak for close to 18 months. Licorice, jammy blackberry and smoke aromas are easy to locate. Soft, fresh, ripe, elegant juicy berries and vanilla meld with the licorice and jam finish. 1650 cases produced. 90-92 Pts
2010 Patris – From close to 90% merlot, this small 9 hectare, St. Emilion vineyard produced a wine with notes of tobacco, black raspberry and earthy aromas. Medium/full bodied, the Bordeaux wine finishes with a nice black cherry sensation. 87-89 Pts
2010 Pavie Macquin from clay and lime stone soils, this dark colored wine offers, sweet jammy berries and minerality in the nose. 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and a smidgeon of Cabernet Sauvignon make up the assemblage. With soft, plush round textures, minerality, purity and freshness, the Bordeaux wine ends with a long wave of sweet, jammy black plums, minerality, coca and licorice. 95-97 Pts
2010 Peby Faugeres is produced from 100% Merlot and aged in 100% new oak for 18 months. Production hovers close to 1,000 cases. Deep purple in color, jammy black fruit, espresso, licorice and spice, this thick, powerful, dense, dark Bordeaux wine is stuffed to the brim with decadent ripe fruit, licorice and chocolate that defines voluptuous in a wine. Unctuous and long, the St. Emilion wine ends with licorice, chocolate, spicy plum and berry liqueur. 95-97 Pts
2010 Pierre de Lune is owned Tony Ballu, the wine maker for Clos Fourtet. This small, 1 hectare, biodynamically farmed vineyard is planted on sand and gravel soils. From a mix of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine reached 14% alcohol, which is lower than what they achieved in 2009. With scents of jammy black raspberries, stone and licorice, this round textured Bordeaux wine ends with a licorice and sweet, black cherry finish. 91-93 Pts
2010 Le Prieure Using 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, this licorice, jammy blackberry and ripe dark cherry tinged is sweet, round and lush. 90-92 Pts
2010 Puy Blanquet is a medium bodied St. Emilion wine with cherry griotte, licorice and kirsch in the finish. 86-87 Pts
2010 Quinault L’Enclos From an assemblage of 70% Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and some Malbec for good measure, the team at Cheval Blanc came up with a Bordeaux wine that reached 13.5% alcohol that shows licorice, griotte and earthy scents. The wine end with a fresh, supple, fennel, chocolate and black cherry. 90-92 Pts
2010 Rol Valentin has new owners who are related to the Robin family, the previous owners of the famed Chateau Lafleur from Pomerol. Interestingly, the fruit is sourced from two separate vineyards. 60% of the crop emanates from vineyards located in the eastern sector of St. Emilion, not far from Valandraud on clay and limestone soils. The remaining 40% comes from property located close to La Gomerie on sandy soils. Coffee, truffle, cassis, plums and licorice scents fill your glass. Silky in texture and more concentrated than the 2009, the Bordeaux wine ends with floral, plum and fennel flavors. Thanks to investments from the new owners and the efforts of their consultant, Stephane Derenoncourt, this Bordeaux wine from St. Emilion is becoming a property to watch. 2010 is a big increase in quality from the 2009. 91-93 Pts
2010 Sanctus opens with stone, spice, licorice, espresso and ripe berries. Soft textured, with minerality and opulent textures, this fleshy and fresh Bordeaux wine will be aged in 90% new oak. 91-93 Pts
2010 Sansonnet 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc produced a wine filled with fresh spice, minerals, jammy plums and anise. Plush, and round, this rich Bordeaux wine ends with soft textures and licorice coated, jammy maraschino cherries. 90-92 Pts
La Serre Located close to the St. Emilion village offers licorice, oak and black cherry, medium body and a soft, black raspberry finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Simard 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc offers jammy black raspberries, licorice and earthy scents, medium body and a kirsch finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Siaurac Blending 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, this is a solid, easy drinking plummy wine. 85-87 Pts
2010 Soutard Using 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, this medium bodied, licorice, earth and black raspberry tinged Bordeaux wine offers soft textures and a black cherry finish. 87-89 Pts
2010 Tertre Roteboeuf From an assemblage of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 15.6% alcohol with a pH of 3.75. The wine does not feel hot. With massive amounts of glycerin, the wine offers exotic textures not found in other wines. The Bordeaux wine will be aged in 100% new oak barrels from Radoux. With a strong perfume filled with iron, oak, jammy red and black berries and fennel, this lush, unctuous, unique expression of St. Emilion is sweet, mouth filling, opulent and loaded with oaky, sweet, candied red berries, licorice and roasted fruits. 94-97 Pts
2010 La Tour du Pin 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc helped to produce a wine that hit 13.9% alcohol. Floral, cherry blossom, anise and black cherry scents open this supple, fresh, sweet, ripe Bordeaux wine that finishes with spicy black raspberries in a finesse style. 91-93
2010 La Tour Figeac is made by Christine Derenoncourt, the wife of Stephane Derenoncourt. In 2010, the apple does not fall far from the Bordeaux wine tree with this St. Emilion wine 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc blend. Licorice, spice, jammy black cherry aromas open to a suave, lush, fennel, spice and ripe dark berry finish. 91-93
2010 Teyssier, The home property of Jonathan Maltus is produced from 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Licorice, dark berries, medium body and soft textured dark fruit are found in this Bordeaux wine. 88-89 Pts
2010 Troplong Mondot has been slowly increasing the amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the vineyards. 2010 is the first year featuring a substantial portion (14%) in the blend, along with 83% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Previous recent vintages have included about 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Currently, the vineyard is planted to 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the goal set to about 20%. The Cabernet Sauvignon is planted in clay soil, as it does not grow well in limestone.
Yields were low in this vintage at 32 hectoliters per hectare, the same as in 2009. The Bordeaux wine reached 15.5% alcohol. For people that like to compare, 2009 came in at 15.4% alcohol. The pH is 3.6 is for the Merlot and 3.75 in Cabernet Sauvignon. Those low levels of pH allow the wine to feel fresh and offer lift. 2010 expresses more lift than 2009.
Midnight black in color, with a perfume filled with minerality, licorice, blueberry, blackberry, jam and clay, this dense, chocolate covered, sweet boysenberry filled St. Emilion wine packs a lot of wine into the bottle. Sensuous, palate staining, incredibly concentrated and rich, the wine coats your palate. The experience ends with a long bath of chocolate covered blackberries and black cherry liqueur that combine for a hedonistic treat. This decadent Bordeaux wine is one of the great vintages of Troplong Mondot. 97-98 Pts
2010 Trotteville Using a high percentage of Cabernet Franc in the blend at 58%, with the remainder being Merlot, the perfume opens with floral, chocolate mint, fennel, stone and red with black fruit aromas. Medium bodied, the Bordeaux wine ends with an elegant, soft, licorice and red plum finish, 90-92 Pts
2010 Valandraud Murielle Andraud has been in charge of the Bordeaux wine making at the property since 2007. Each vintage has shown marked improvements over the previous year. 2010 is no exception. She is clearly on a roll! With a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 14.5% alcohol. Coupled with a low pH of 3.55, the wine feels bright and fresh, with no sensation of heat. Displaying an intense, inky black, purple hue, the powerful perfume jumps from the glass with complex aromas of stone, licorice, dark berries, truffle and oak. This dense, rich, concentrated St. Emilion wine is filled with sexy, ripe fruit that stains your palate. Sweet boysenberry, blue fruit and licorice are sensed in the long, fresh, harmonious, sweet, ripe finish. This is most compelling Bordeaux wine I’ve tasted from Valandraud yet! 96-98 Pts
2010 Valandraud 3 de Valandruad While the name 3 de Valandruad implies this is the third wine of Valandraud, it’s actually the second wine of Valandraud. The name comes from an inside joke of Jean Luc Thunevin. Ripe dark berries, licorice supple textures, sweet black raspberry and an anise filled finish are the signatures of this Bordeaux wine. 89-91 Pts
2010 Vieux Pourret Dixit is made by Michel Tardieu. It’s one of the few Bordeaux wines to have been certified biodynamic. From an assemblage of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, this, licorice, black cherry and earthy St. Emilon wine is medium bodied and soft textured. 86-89 Pts
2010 Vieux Chateau Mazerat 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, the Cabernet Franc is from vines planted in 1947, the wine reached 14.3% alcohol in this vintage. Licorice, floral, black raspberry, earth and mocha scents are easy to find. The round, soft Bordeaux wine finishes with sweet black cherry, oak and licorice 91-93 Pts
2010 Villemaurine is located not far from the village of St. Emilion. Jammy berries, licorice, spice, pepper and plum scents pop from the glass. Lush and round, this concentrated, ripe Bordeaux wine is loaded with sweet, jammy black cherries and fennel. This is the finest wine I’ve ever tasted from this property. With a new owner, new consultant,( Stephane Derenoncourt) and a new label, they are off to a great start. 90-92 Pts
2010 Bordeaux Wine Satellite Appellations Cotes de Castillon, Fronsac, Bordeaux Superieur vintage report, reviews, tasting notes and ratings.
The satellite appellations for this report combined all the different areas I tasted from that are not from the major Bordeaux appellations. Satellite appellations can offer some of the best quality for the money wines. Many of these Bordeaux wines would do well in blind tasting’s with wines from more illustrious terroir’s. Cotes de Castillon, Fronsac, Bordeaux Superieur and other appellations are covered in this article.
2010 20 Mille is produced from a 1.4-hectare section of the Croix Mouton vineyard planted to 100% Merlot. This Bordeaux wine reached 14.9% alcohol in this vintage. The wine takes its name from the fact it’s planted to 20,000 vines per ha. According to the owner, Jean-Philippe Janoueix, the purpose of this density of planting, is to show quality Bordeaux can be produced from terroir that is not only found in the top appellations. Black cherry, chocolate and licorice aromas couple with sweet, round textures, concentration and depth. As the vineyards continue aging, the wine keeps getting better. 89-91 Pts
2010 d’Aiguilhe – This 50-hectare Bordeaux wine vineyard produced with a typical blend for the Cotes de Castillon appellation, 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc is aged in 50% new oak. Dark, purple ruby in color, with a perfume of licorice, jammy dark berries and oak, the wine is round in texture and is filled with delicious ripe black and red fruits, chocolate and spicy, fresh berries. 90-92 Pts
2010 Ets Thunevin Bad Boy is filled with ripe jammy black fruit, licorice, round textures and chocolate covered plums. 88-90 Pts
2010 Beausejour Montagne 1901, produced from vines planted in 1901 is stuffed with ripe jammy berries, licorice and spice. Not much of this Bordeaux wine is produced, but it’s worth seeking out as it’s made from old vines that were planted over 110 years ago! Stephane Derenoncourt consults. 89-91 Pts
2010 Bolaire Produced from an unusual blend of 40% Petit Verdot, 35% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, the goal is to move the property to an even higher percentage of Petit Verdot with the hopes the wine will eventually become an even mix of Petit Verdot and Merlot. With wood, black raspberry, cassis and flower scents, this medium bodied wine offers a lot of freshness, spice and cassis ending with hints of pepper and slightly green tints in the finish. 86-89 Pts
2010 Cap de Faugeres From a blend of 85% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon, (which is how the vineyard is planted,) came in at 14.5% alcohol. This medium/full bodied Cotes de Castillon wine offers abundant fresh, sweet black cherry and chocolate notes in a lush crowd pleasing style that will drink well on release for a fair price. As 10,000 cases of this Bordeaux wine are produced, this will also be easy to find. 89-91 Pts
2010 Croix Mouton from Jean Philippe Janoueix remains one of the top value Bordeaux wines from the region. From a blend of 87% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and a drop of Petit Verdot. Oak, black raspberries, medium bodied, round, mocha and cherry finish. This Bordeaux wine drink well on release. 87-88 Pts
2010 Le Conseiller, produced from 100% Merlot combines black cherry, licorice, chocolate and soft textures to produce a top value Bordeaux wine. 88-89 Pts
2010 La Dauphine From a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, this deeply colored wine starts with aromas of oak, licorice, floral, chocolate and dark berry scents. On the palate this round textured wine finishes with ample, sweet ripe black cherry flavors. 2010 La Dauphine was aged in 30% new oak for 12 months. This Fronsac estate is consulted by Denis Dubourdieu 89-90 Pts
2010 Domaine de l’A, owned by renowned consultant Stephane Derenoncourt and Christine Derenoncourt is produced from a blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon biodynamically farmed Bordeaux wine vineyards planted in clay and limestone soils. Deeply colored, intense aromas of licorice, blackberry, espresso bean and earth meld with sumptuous textures, round tannins, and a long, fresh, ripe, dark plum, fennel and smoky finish. 91-93 Pts
2010 G From a blend of 56% Merlot and 44% Cabernet Franc, the wine offers earthy, truffle, forest floor and dark berries. Medium bodied and soft in texture, the finish is filled with dark cherries and coca powder. 90-91 Pts
2010 Grand Village 75% Merlot 25% Cabernet Franc create an earth, candied plum and sweet black cherry scented wine with a medium body that ends with a fresh cherry finish. This should drink well on release. 89-91
2010 Les Grands Marechaux This is another contender for one of top values in Bordeaux wine with its supple textures and fresh cassis, licorice and black cherry profile. 87-89 Pts
2010 Gree-Laroque is mostly Merlot with the remainder coming from Cabernet Franc. Licorice, smoke and cassis, round textures and a finish of black cherry and cassis make this one of the top value Bordeaux wines from the vintage. 88-90 Pts
2010 Goulee 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot combine to produce a wine that opens with a spicy profile filled with coffee, fresh, ripe dark berries and licorice. Concentrated ripe, round berries, fresh cassis and bitter chocolate are found in the finish of this lush, styled Bordeaux wine from the team at Chateau Cos d’Estournel. 90-92 Pts
2010 lAurage From 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the wine will be aged in 80% new oak. Licorice and cherry griotte, medium body and a fresh, dark cherry finish. 88-90 Pts
2010 Lusseau From the winemaker at Chateau Pavie, this blend of 75% Merlot 25% Cabernet Franc is filled with licorice, oak and jammy dark berries and ends with a medium bodied, ripe, fennel infused, cherry finish. 89-91 Pts
2010 Pey La Tour Bordeaux Superieur is a fun, simple, uncomplicated easy to like 90% Merlot based wine. 86-88 Pts
2010 La Prade is filled with cassis, black cherry and licorice. Concentrated, and easy to like, this wine from Nicolas Thienpont should offer pleasure early. 88-90 Pts
2010 Puygueraud, like La Prade, both of which are made by Nicolas Theinpont, once again utilized optical sorting machines for the harvest. Produced from a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec, this full bodied wine is stuffed with licorice, cassis, smoke and dark cherries. 87-89 Pts
2010 Reignac opens with oak, espresso bean, jammy black fruit and cassis, Round, supple and packed with jammy ripe fruit, this should offer pleasure on release. 88-90 Pts.
2010 Roc des Cambes 75% Merlot 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot produced a medium bodied, soft textured wine filled earth, anise, black cherry and smoke. The vineyards are slowly being replanted as the Cabernet Sauvignon is being replaced by Merlot. 88-90 Pts
2010 Domaine des Combes medium bodied, fresh, simple, easy to drink on release 85-88 Pts
2010 La Riviere Aria was a discovery for me. Thank you to to Bill Blatch from Vintex for introducing me to it. It was the first time I had tasted this wine. Froma blend of 86% merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, with vines averaging 40 years of age, the wine sported a deep color. Floral, boysenberry aromas, a rich mouth full of ripe, black fruit, chocolate and boysenberry jam makes this a very tasty offering from Fronsac. I’m not sure what this costs yet, but chances are, this will be a good value wine to seek out. 90-92 Pts
2010 La Roncheraie From a small 1.4 hectare vineyard, the wine is made from 100% Merlot that average 30 years in age. Inky in color, with an oak, licorice and jammy berry perfume. Dense, thick and mouth coating, this wine exchanges complexity for hedonistic pleasure. Less than 300 cases of this Bordeaux wine are produced. 89-91 Pts
2010 Soleil 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon was used to create a wine with licorice, jammy black fruit and cassis with a milk chocolate covered, cassis finish. This wine is produced with the efforts of Stephan Von Neipperg. 86-88 Pts
2010 Soleil Le Rival From 45 year old vines planted on a bed of limestone terroir, this 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc blend offers a complex perfume of truffle, earth, blackberry and stone aromas. Concentrated with intense dark cherries and chocolate, the wine ends with a long, fresh, mineral, cassis and cherry finish. This wine is produced with the efforts of Stephan Von Neipperg. 90-92 Pts
2010 Vieille Cure Opaque in color, black licorice, dark chocolate, oak, jammy berries and sweet black cherry flavors are coupled with a big blast of concentrated, sweet jammy berries. This is the best wine produced by La Vieille Cure since the 2005 and a strong contender for the top value 2010 Bordeaux wine of the vintage. 90-93 Pts
2010 Vieux Chateau Palon opens with earth, berry, licorice and spice aromas. This easy drinking Bordeaux wine ends with a berry filled finish. 85-87 Pts
2010 Vrai Canon Bouche Made from a blend of 95% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec, this deeply colored mineral driven, licorice, plummy flavored wine is filled with sweet, plush, licorice and black cherry fruit. 88-90 Pts
2010 Bordeaux Wine Haut Medoc, 2010 Bordeaux Wine Medoc, 2010 Bordeaux Wine Moulis, Vintage Report, Reviews, Tasting Notes and Ratings.
2010 Belgrave uses 52% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc in this vintage. Stone, cassis and hints of pepper in the nose, full-bodied with ripe tannins, structure to age and a blackberry filled finish are found in this Bordeaux wine. 89-91 Pts
2010 Chateau Belle-Vue From a blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Merlot and 20% Petit Verdot, oak, vanilla, forest floor, floral and cassis aromas open to a medium bodied, soft textured Bordeaux wine that offers ample fresh cassis and dark cherry. 88-90 Pts
2010 Bernadotte Blending 51.5% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Merlot, this Bordeaux wine opens with cassis and sweet black cherry balsamic scents. Medium bodied with dark berries and cassis in the finish, this should drink well on release. 88-90 Pts
2010 Fourcase Borie, formerly sold under the name of Fourcas Dumont is a new Bordeaux wine from Bruno Borie of Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou. Filled with juicy ripe, spicy cassis, blackberry and earth, this round, charming, crowd pleasing wine will offer a lot of bang for the buck in the under $20 category. 88-90 Pts
2010 Chateau de Gironville 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot produce a crowd pleasing, Bordeaux wine filled with cassis, earth and spice that ends with fresh, black cherry and cassis. 87-90 Pts
2010 Goulee 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot combine to produce a wine that opens with a spicy profile filled with coffee, fresh, ripe dark berries and licorice. Concentrated ripe, round berries, fresh cassis and bitter chocolate are found in the finish of this lush styled Bordeaux wine from the team that produces Chateau Cos d’Estournel. 90-92 Pts
2010 Haut Condissas offers big juicy mouthful of ripe cassis, licorice, oak and tannin. 89-91 Pts
2010 Potensac Beefy in style, powerful and tannic, with a long bitter chocolate and cassis finish that is slightly marred by some dryness in the finish traditionally styled Bordeaux wine. 88-90
2010 Poujeaux is produced from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. The perfume is filled with boysenberry, earth and mocha. In the mouth, this Bordeaux wine offers spicy, chocolate covered cassis, round textures and tannins to age. 91-93 Pts
2010 La Tour Carnet Oak, spice, cassis, earth and mocha scents open to a powerful, concentrated tannic Bordeaux wine with the structure to age well. There is some dryness in the finish. 89-91 Pts
7 Comments
any recommendations for good targets for investment in 2010?
Nick… It all depends on how much you have to spend, your tolerance for risk and how much you have to pay for the wines.
If you want to discuss it in further detail, it would be much easier if you posted in our Wine Talk Forums… http://thewinecellarinsider.com/forums_new/forumdisplay.php?5-Wine-amp-Food-Talk
From reading all these notes, it seems clear to me that the best wine of all or certainly one of the best, is the 2010 Vieux Chateau Certan. In addition to Jeff’s stunning reviews, I have spoken to the owner of Millesima/France a huge chain of high end wine stores around the world, and he agrees that, for him at least, it is certainly one of the top 2 or 3 top right bank wines and one of the top half dozen of the vintage….so I plan to buy at least a few cases of this gem
Edward… Thank you for the post. It’s funny, I just took the 2010 Bordeaux wine reviews and tasting notes off the front page and replaced them with 2011.
2010 Vieux Chateau Certan, along with 2010 Beausejour Duffau are both stunning wines. IMO, if you’re a fan of Pomerol, for the vast majority of chateaux, 2009 is a better vintage. 2010 is better for most St. Emilion properties.
Hi Jeff,
Agree vith you on the general context of the vintage 2010. And of all at bleguern website I’m closest to you with ratings – coorelation 0.67.
However, I think 2010 will be expensive and therefore not really needed in my wine cellar asd I’ve too many bottles already. Will you invest heavily in 2010?
Your website is a bit slow and has been like that dor several weeks. Have there been change to website recently?
Izak… We have been making improvements on the site. It is much faster now. At least I think so. Let me know what you like.
It was great seeing all your 2010 notes. We do seem to have liked many of the same wines.