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The wine hits all cylinders in 2010. The average alcohol for the bottled wine is 14%. It has a gorgeously sweet nose of creme de cassis, spring flowers, subtle barbecue smoke and charcoal followed by full body, beautiful intensity, great purity, stature and length. The influence of any oak is minimal, despite the fact that 90% new French oak was used. Needless to say, this is an example of modern-styled winemaking at its finest, and arguments that such wines will not age well, do not represent their terroir , and are soul-less, are totally groundless. Give it five or so years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25-30 years. This is one of the great Margaux wines of the vintage.Probably the greatest Lascombes made to date, the 2010 is a blend of 55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot. The production from this huge estate totals nearly 400,000 bottles.Robert Parker | 96 RPLascombes in 2010 has exuberance and precision and confidence, and a sense of fun. At the 10 year mark the power of the tannins is clear and evident. It’s a big, concentrated, exuberant wine but it has delicacy and construction and persistency. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042Decanter | 94 DECPinpoint but rich fruit in the form of blackcurrants, licorice, fresh herbs, blackberry leaf and cedar. Full body, structured tannins, vibrant acidity and a long finish. Wonderful combination of freshness and fruit. Delicious now but this will hold for many more years.James Suckling | 94 JSWood-driven tannins dominate at this stage, creating a wine that is structured and dense. The tannins are layered with the weight of the black currant and plum fruits. Lascombes is still finding its style, but is definitely on the upward slope.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEDark and nicely toasty, with ample espresso and ganache up front, followed by steeped fig, blackberry and black currant fruit that rumbles through the finish. Features ample tarry grip, but eschews minerality and finesse for a direct and toast-driven approach. Best from 2014 through 2026. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

A unique wine with iodine, red seaweed, mineral and dried fruits with hints of figs. Baslamic. You can feel the warmth of the volcanic soil. Full body with soft and silky tannins. Stylish and characterful. Better in a year or two. You need to try this.James Suckling | 98 JSI hope one day to have another chance to taste a vertical of Roccamonfina Terra di Lavoro because I have a strong feeling the 2010 will occupy a place among the very finest vintages produced on this tiny vineyard on the slopes of the Roccamonfina volcano. An exotic mélange of tar, smoke, graphite, blackberry jam and savory herbs explode from the glass. The 2010 is intense and full-bodied, yet also incredibly elegant. A big, breathtaking wine, the 2010 continues to build all the way through to a deeply resonant, expressive finish. I would choose to leave this uttterly beguiling Campanian red alone for the better part of a decade, but readers are going to have a very hard time excercising that patience. This is a fabulous effort from proprietors Arturo and Dora Celentano, and their long-time winemaker Riccardo Cotarella.Vinous Media | 97+ VMThe 2010 Roccamonfina Terra di Lavoro shows all the qualities of an excellent vintage. This is a pure and balanced wine that opens in a slow and seductive manner. The expressive bouquet shows layers of balsam herb, licorice, dark fruit, earth and crushed mineral. In fact, those volcanic Roccamonfina nuances are most distinctive in this beautiful vintage. The 2010 vintage also offers a generous quality of full and round fruit that sets it apart. This is a wine of great intensity, beauty and balance. It has many more years ahead to complete its evolution.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA dark, beefy red, with layers of game, underbrush and wild herb to the dark blackberry, cassis and plum skin notes. Full yet fine tannins add grip, as the fruit and hints of mocha and ash highlight the finish. Best from 2014 through 2025. 5,500 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis hearty blend of Aglianico and Piedirosso offers a compelling bouquet that is as savory and rich as it is elegant and composed. Dusty notes of crushed stone and dried fruit hold the wine together and give it momentum. The mouthfeel is bone dry, with loads of dark prune and tobacco flavors.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

One of the finest wines to come from Cantenac Brown for many years, this is powerful and dense, dominated by Cabernet Franc tannins and fruits. The structure has a smooth, polished character that locates it firmly in Margaux, giving elegance and discreet fruitiness. Age this fine wine for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe greatest Cantenac Brown I have ever tasted, the 2010 is one for the ages. Dense purple, with an extraordinary nose of sweet forest floor, blackberry jam, pen ink and graphite, this wine soars from the glass, giving it an aromatic dimension and intensity I have never seen from this estate. The tannins are present, as they are in most Cantenac Browns, but the wine’s sweetness, broad, skyscraper-like mouthfeel, dense, purple color and spectacular length (close to a minute) make this a giant classic and a fabulous sleeper of the vintage that still remains under-priced, considering how great its potential may be. This is a wine for those with cold cellars and youthful DNA. It is going to need at least a decade of cellaring and should last for 20-40 years. A classic!Robert Parker | 94+ RPThe 2010 Cantenac Brown feels a little muted on the nose compared to its peers, but with modest aeration it develops very attractive, leafy black fruit, tertiary in style and beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very well judged acidity and plenty of substance towards the finish. I love the cohesion and focus of this Margaux. I wrote to buy this after its impressive showing at Southwold in 2014 - yet another blind tasting confirms its pedigree. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMBeautiful dark inky purple with ruby highlights. The difference with 2009 is clear in terms of structure, style and knitted-down fruit. They are both brilliant, and quality-wise it’s hard to pick as they have such different personalities. Higher acidity in 2010 set against confident tannins means your mouth is watering by the mid palate and it doesn’t let up. Tons of black fruits and evident spice, slate, cigar box and liquorice bud, savoury and still zipped up. It needs a few more years in bottle before it will really start to soften. 45% of harvest in the 1st wine, 60% new oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2038.Decanter | 94 DECA wine with firm tannins that are polished and reserved yet there’s an underlying richness of fruit. Plums, blueberries and citrus character. Some tar too. Juicy and delicious to taste. Try in 2016.James Suckling | 94 JSVery fresh, with a bold display of dark blueberry, loganberry and plum fruit aromas and flavors that push ahead, followed by singed spice, black licorice and toasty vanilla bean notes. Displays a polished feel on the finish, kept honest by a buried charcoal accent. Shows plenty of length for the cellar. Best from 2014 through 2028.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The definition of poised and confident, this has pretty much consistently delivered since the very first taste during En Primeur. Deeply layered, textured, confident and powerful, both very Pomerol and very 2010. Coffee beans and bitter chocolate are the dominant flavours alongside cassis and blackberry autumnal berry fruits. Both gourmet and restrained. Just about ready to go but will hugely benefit from three to four hours in carafe first, and will further improve over the next few years, and indeed over the decades to come. Drinking Window 2020 - 2045Decanter | 97 DECGorgeous nose with lots of dark fruit like plum and blueberries. Crushed pepper and chalk with wild strawberries and vanilla. Dense and velvety on the palate with superbly polished tannins and great depth. It’s absolutely gorgeous now but needs at least five to six years of bottle age to really shows its great quality.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2010 Clinet is a baby, but man, what a wine. Checking in as mostly Merlot, with small amounts of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this deep ruby/purple-tinged beauty gives up fresh, tight aromas of blackcurrants, black cherries, damp earth and forest floor, with its background oak buffered by serious amounts of fruit. Full-bodied, concentrated and deep, yet also elegant and layered, with the freshness, purity, and structure of the vintage, it sings even today with a decant, but is best with a few more year of bottle age. It’s going to keep for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe blend is largely dominated by 85% Merlot, with some Cabernet Sauvignon and a small amount of Cabernet Franc also included. Inky/purple-colored, the wine has an exceptionally full-bodied, layered, moderately tannic mouthfeel and impressive power. Loads of melted chocolate/fudge and black fruits galore along with some coffee bean, mocha, as well as some background oak are all present in this big, formidably endowed, masculine style of Pomerol that will take longer to shed its tannin than the 2009. I would give this wine 5-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 30+ years.The 2010 is another fabulous effort from this estate of just over 20 acres located in the sector named the same as the chateau, Clinet. Modest yields of 38 hectoliters per hectare produced a final blend that hit 14.4% natural alcohol.Robert Parker | 96+ RPThe 2010 Clinet has a crisp, precise bouquet that is tightly wound but extremely well focused. It would benefit from decanting of preferably more bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, impressive backbone with black fruit laced with white pepper, sage and cedar towards the persistent finish. This is a serious Pomerol with huge potential. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 95+ VMThis showy, packed and well-endowed Pomerol pumps out notes of warm linzer torte, plum preserves and blackberry reduction, all supported by a broad, charcoal- and ganache-coated structure and deeply embedded acidity. Very muscular on the back end, this boasts a still-chewy feel. Among the most backward of the 2010 Pomerols, this requires significant cellaring. For those who enjoy more power than subtlety. Best from 2017 through 2035. 3,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSNew wood mint aromas give this wine its great polished feel. The tannins offer a counterpoint of richness here, firm and dense. The fruit takes a while to show through, then brings the fine plum skin flavors suffusing through the wine.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Intense aromas of wet earth, leaves, sweet berries and cinnamon follow through to a full body, velvety and dense tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Opulent style. Just opening now, but this shows lots of stuffing, even if it does tighten down on the palate. Integrated and fine. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2010 Figeac has a deep hue. The nose is quite introverted at first, with dark berry fruit, incense, touches of fig and mulberry. The palate is beautifully balanced with a fine bead of acidity, gorgeous pure fruit, mulberry and dark plum, gentle considering the vintage. This 2010 has softened in the last couple of years, gaining depth towards the finish. Very persistent - this is just beginning to show what it is capable of. Tasted at the vertical in Berlin.Vinous Media | 98 VMDeep garnet colored, the 2010 Figeac bursts from the glass with gregarious scents of baked blueberries, black cherry compote and chocolate box with hints of camphor, pencil lead and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has beautifully ripe, velvety tannins and bold freshness supporting the generous fruit, finishing long and layered.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis is a Figeac that rhymes with freshness and fragrance, endowed as it is with compelling scents of flowers including iris, menthol, ripe black fruits, spices, and a touch of graphite. It embodies the singular style of the 2010 vintage that produced dense, fleshy yet fresh wines of strong personality, but Figeac also shines for the taut and precise architecture of its fine-grained tannic structure. This is a magnificent wine worthy of cellaring for at least twenty years. (Drink between 2022-2040)Decanter | 97 DECThis Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wine always stands out as a powerhouse of impressive tannins. In 2010, it is complex with a dense structure, tight mineral texture and dense wood. Underneath, the ripe black fruits bring the promise for the long-term future. Give this wine at least 10 years.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThis is very tight, showing a prominent roasted apple wood and bittersweet cocoa frame more today, though the core of dense currant paste, blackberry pâte de fruit and plum sauce waits in reserve. Gorgeous singed spice, anise and toasted fig bread notes flitter through the finish, though this needs some time in the cellar to resolve itself fully. A very distinctive, structured expression of St.-Emilion. Best from 2016 through 2035. 7,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Cocoa bean, bilberry, cassis, espresso, smoked earth, campfire, chunky tannins that put the emphasis on dark Petit Verdot spice. It’s a St Julien wine that has hints of Pauillac, where you feel the shoulders, the structure and the chewy tannins but there is a generosity and again this sparkle of cheer underpinning it all that Gloria does so well. Plenty of time ahead. 40% new oak, harvest September 29 to October 16. 46hl/h yield, from a year that saw both quality and quantity. Remi di Constanzo technical director.Jane Anson | 96 JASt-Julien lovers are going to be happy to see how Gloria has developed over the past decade. Cinnamon and black pepper, slivers of olive paste and crushed smoked rosemary. I love this wine; this was the time when it was starting to receive well deserved recognition after years of being in the background; and well done those who bought in En Primeur. Just coming in to its drinking window, but no rush. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042Decanter | 94 DECThe 2010 Gloria has a very attractive and quite intense bouquet with a surfeit of blackberry and wild strawberry scents, cedar and light seaweed coming through with aeration. The palate is very well balanced with supple but firm tannins framing the pure blackberry and bilberry fruit, laced with black pepper and clove. Very complex, very focused and very precise on the finish, this is an outstanding 2010 Saint-Julien. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2010 Gloria is an ass-kicking, fabulous value once again from this estate, which would probably be classified if the 1855 hierarchy of the wines of the Medoc were ever done again. Abundant notes of cedar wood, fruitcake, flowers, creme de cassis and kirsch are all present in this full-bodied, opulent, dense, dark ruby/purple wine. It is slightly more restrained than the flamboyant 2009, but equal in quality. This is a juicy, well-proportioned, sensationally concentrated, super-ripe Gloria to drink over the next decades. Of course, it is a sleeper of the vintage, given the reasonable price it normally sells for.Robert Parker | 93 RPA little coarse, with chewy tannins, but velvety in texture. Full body, with plenty of fruit and bright acidity. Intense and interesting.James Suckling | 90-91 JSJuicy and direct, with a relatively friendly feel to the plum, blackberry and blueberry fruit, all coated with a ganache note that hangs through the finish. Surprisingly accessible, and not quite as grippy as when tasted from barrel. Drink now through 2023.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThe wine shows considerable new-wood influence at this stage. However, this wood emphasis brings out polished fruit that is deliciously smooth and blackberry-like in profile. This is likely to develop relatively quickly.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

A wine with blueberry and chocolate with hints of hazelnut. Full body, with velvety tannins and a polished finish. This is intense yet very fine. Very pretty young Bordeaux. Try after 2016.James Suckling | 93 JSThis blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot is an up-front, seductively styled Pauillac (one of the more forward and evolved wines from this appellation in 2010). Deep purple, with exceptionally subtle texture and oodles of cassis fruit as well as hints of mocha and white chocolate, it is an elegant wine, but the overall impression is one of considerable flesh, fat and succulence. It will be hard to resist now, but can be cellared for another 15+ years.Robert Parker | 92 RPFeatures loam, dark chocolate and steeped plum and black currant fruit, staying polished overall, with a singed apple wood note integrated through the solid finish. Shows excellent typicity. Best from 2015 through 2028. 7,666 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSTough at the moment, this is a wine with impressive concentration. It’s solid and chunky, with massive structure. The fragrant finish is a sign of the pleasure to come.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

Loads of tension and form. It can be cellared for decades, but it’s balanced and beautiful already. Lots of blueberry, licorice and blackberry character. Try in 2018.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2010 Lagrange was picked from 29 September to 20 October. This is even better than the 2009 on the nose with beautifully defined brambly red fruit, crushed stone, violet and iris aromas, almost pixelated in detail. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, precise and focused with a silky mouthfeel. This fans out beautifully, certainly one of the more approachable 2010s but a wine full of class and immense breeding. Outstanding - a benchmark for the estate. Tasted at the Lagrange vertical at the estate.Vinous Media | 95 VMThis again is a brilliant St-Julien - full of joy and finesse and elegance. Black fruits and smoke combine with a slate minerality - I love it.This is also one that offers good value for money and will be a perfect match for food. Can drink now, or wait, and will age. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042Decanter | 94 DECWith vineyards in the west of Saint-Julien, Lagrange produces wines that are polished and elegant. In 2010, that style has been suffused with tannins while also delivering a black currant flavor. The wine is rich and ripe, with just the right amount of tannic structure for the fruit.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThis property, on the western plateau of St-Julien, includes 292 acres of vines on soils that vary from coarse to fine gravels, combined with sand or clay. Suntory purchased the property in 1983 and hired Marcel Ducasse, who restored it to prominence during his 24 years at the helm. Now run by Matthieu Bordes and Keiichi Shiina, Lagrange produces sleek wines. This is not a fat St-Julien, though their 2010 is succulent, opening over the course of several days to racy, dark plum fruit and a narrow course of tannins. Still youthful, this is approachable and lovely after long hours in a decanter, and it will reward patient cellaring.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&SNotes of singed alder, graphite and charcoal wrap around the core of intense blackberry paste, warm plum sauce and currant preserves. Turns sleek and racy on the well-knit finish despite the notable grip. Best from 2015 through 2030.Wine Spectator | 92 WS(Château Lagrange) I did not have time to drop by Château Lagrange to taste the 2010 sur place, so I do not have a note this year on their fine second wine, Les Fiefs de Lagrange, but the grand vin was showing very well at the UGC event. The bouquet is deep, pure, refined and seems decidedly less ripe than several others, as it offers up a black fruity mélange of cassis, dark berries, gentle herb tones, tobacco leaf, espresso, gravel and a deft base of new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and impressively seamless, with a ripe personality, lovely mid-palate depth, well-balanced tannins and very fine length and grip on the reserved and classy finish. A really lovely example of the vintage. (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 92+ JGDeep garnet in color, the 2010 Lagrange gives up notes of baked blackcurrants, stewed plums and fried herbs with nuances of crushed rocks and balsamic plus a touch of fungi. Full-bodied, the palate has a firm line of grainy tannins and fantastic freshness helping to define the black fruit and earthy flavors, finishing a little lifted.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

Great nose of spices, dried herbs, chocolate and coffee. Very intense nose. Full-bodied, with fabulous tannins and finesse. This is layered and rich yet very harmonious. Best Monbusquet ever. Try after 2018.James Suckling | 95 JSA lush, modern, style, with hyperdrive on the blueberry, loganberry and boysenberry fruit flavors. Nothing gets too heady though, as there’s charcoal-studded grip, smoldering coffee grinds and roasted bay leaf notes all in the background for definition and further development with cellaring. Modern, yes, but firmly grounded in its terroir. Best from 2016 through 2035. 7,000 cases made. Wine Spectator | 95 WSBottle unfined and unfiltered, it exhibits notes of Christmas fruitcake, black raspberry, cedar wood and spice box and has a full-bodied, fleshy, succulent mouthfeel, sweet tannin and decent acidity along with the tell-tale purity that always seems to emerge from the Perse estates. This wine should drink beautifully for at least 12-15 or more years.Robert Parker | 93 RPVery oaky nose, plums and black cherries, but it’s stylish too. Plump, concentrated, and fleshy, with ample tannic backbone and grip. It’s austere and brooding now, with little charm or finesse, but there’s an impressive intensity and weight of fruit and no trace of overripeness. Good length, and built to last.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2010 Monbousquet has plenty of blackberry, boysenberry jam and fig aromas on the intense nose, well defined with hints of dried honey in the background. It improves with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, plenty of body and depth with multi-layered black fruit, tobacco and white pepper notes, leading to a slightly tarry, grippy finish. This could be a long-term proposition. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 92 VM

A harvest lasting 30 days offered structure and tannins, deep and complex fruit with earthy nuances, still bursting with energy.Decanter | 97 DECBright dark ruby. Initially reticent nose opened in the glass to reveal wonderfully complex scents of black- and redcurrant, blackberry, minerals, licorice, loam and tobacco leaf, plus a whiff of leather. Seamless, savory and classy on entry if a bit subdued, then delivers lovely restrained sweetness and a complicating wildness in the middle palate that still calls for more bottle aging. Old World in its classic dryness, this highly concentrated Opus One really shines on its vibrant, slowly building back end, where the broad, dusty tannins caress and saturate the palate and allow the fruits and minerals to build. A wine of outstanding depth, clarity, finesse of grain and class; it's hard to imagine that this site could give more. Long-time winemaking director Michael Silacci noted that the estate did not strip leaves prior to the brutal August heat spike.Vinous Media | 97 VMOne of the best ever from Opus, it shows beautiful blackcurrant cabernet sauvignon character. A powerful and poised wine with well-crafted tannins. Needs about four years to soften.James Suckling | 96 JSA glorious perfume of sweet charcoal, truffle, black currants and spice box soars from the glass of the saturated purple-colored 2010 Opus One. The gorgeous aromatics are followed by a beautifully knit, full-bodied red blend (84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.5% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec) displaying lots of spicy black currant fruit, medium to full body, velvety tannins, and not a hard edge to be found. The texture, length and richness are all impressive. This estate has been making great Cabernet-based wines for nearly a decade ... and this is another one. Drink it over the next 20+ years.Robert Parker | 96 RPOffers both a rich, supple, seamless core of earthy dark berry and touches of rustic loam and dried leather scents, the latter of which give this a drying sensation on the palate. Ends with dried herb, olive and savory notes that Opus fans will love, others perhaps less so. A classic Opus.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Dense purple, with classic notes of cedar and lead pencil shavings as well as gobs of back currants and licorice, the wine has a full-bodied mouthfeel with fabulous precision and density. It also possesses a long, silky finish with moderately high tannins, but they are ripe and well-integrated. The wood is clearly pushed to the background in this dense, full-bodied Pauillac, which should drink beautifully for 30+ years.If you can’t afford Lafite-Rothschild (few can)or even their second wine, Carruades de Lafite, you still have Duhart Milon, which has become a profound wine over the last 5-7 years due to the extensive amount of attention and investment the Rothschilds have pumped into this estate. This blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot is fabulous, a dead ringer for Lafite in a great vintage. (It is probably better than many of the Lafites of the 1960s and 1970s, and even some of the vintages in the 1980s).Robert Parker | 96 RPGravel over limestone, similar to Château Lafite Rothschild and under the same ownership. Cooler northern exposure of the terroir requires more time to ripen, but that was no problem in 2010. This has ripe fruit with graphite and wet stone. It may not be as dense as Clerc Milon, but the expression of finesse and refinement is unmistakable. Long, subtle finish. Pleasing, high-toned fruit perfectly matches grilled lamb chops with roast potatoes. Drinking Window 2021 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DECLike a lot of 2010s, the 2010 Duhart-Milon-Rothschild is tight and backward, yet has serious potential. Sporting a deep ruby/purple color and classic notes of currants, lead pencil shavings, cedarwood and saddle leather, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a tight, firm focused texture and beautiful concentration. Its tannins are present, yet ripe and integrated, and it has the purity and freshness that’s the hallmark of this great, great vintage. Give bottles another 2-3 years and it should keep for two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 94+ JDA wine with an intense sous bois, fresh tobacco and dried flower character on the nose and palate. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and an attractive finish. It’s structured yet polished with a beauty and stature. Try in 2015.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2010 Duhart-Milon has a backward nose that is going through a dumb phase. There is plenty of fruit here but it is “locked down” at the moment. The palate is very well defined with crisp acidity, fine-boned tannins and superb balanced. It is not a deep or grippy Pauillac, but it feels...streamlined, athletic and wonderfully poised on the graphite infused finish. Excellent. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 93 VMJuicy black currant fruit mingles with bright acidity and dark-chocolate tannins. This often overlooked château, with the same production team as Lafite-Rothschild, has an intense and concentrated 2010, balanced superbly between firmness and fruitiness.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEWell-polished, with sleek edges to the fleshy plum, cassis and blackberry fruit, while the finish is embedded with black licorice and violet notes. Approachable now, but the stuffing is there to cellar this for a bit. Drink now through 2025.Wine Spectator | 91 WS(Château Duhart-Milon) While both the Carruades and Lafite steer clear of any signs of overripeness in this vintage, the same cannot be said for the 2010 Château Duhart-Milon, which, while not overtly overripe, does show a rather forceful personality that is rather out of character. The bouquet is deep, very ripe and quite powerful, as it offers up scents of cassis, dark berries, cigar ash, gravelly soil tones, tobacco leaf and new oak. On the palate the wine is full, broad-shouldered and really a bit four-square at the present time, with a rock solid core, plenty of firm, well-integrated tannins and a very good grip on the long and palate-staining finish. This will need some extended cellaring to soften, but it is hard to imagine that it will ever develop the customary charm of this property. This is another 2010 where the ripeness of the vintage has seemingly robbed this wine of a bit of focus and detail, and it is an open question if those qualities can be revived with extended cellaring. (Drink between 2022-2050)John Gilman | 88-90+ JG

Wow! This wine exceeded my enthusiastic barrel tasting notes. A big, back-strapping blockbuster from Gazin, in which the oak seems to be pushed into the background (thankfully), the wine offers up notes of caramelized black cherry and black currant fruit interwoven with mocha, white chocolate, subtle toast and hints of coffee beans and tobacco leaf. The exceptional aromatics are easily followed up by a full-bodied, powerful, broodingly backward, rich, intense wine with multiple dimensions, layers of fruit, and a sensational finish of close to a minute. This is one of the all-time great efforts from Gazin. It should be forgotten for 6-10 years and drunk over the following 30 to 40.Robert Parker | 96 RPThe 2010 Gazin has an astonishingly precise bouquet with real intensity and bravura, mainly black fruit laced with truffles and morels, becoming more ferrous with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, crisp acidity, a beguiling sense of symmetry and just a little gaminess towards the finish. What a wonderful Pomerol. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe kind of vintage that was always going to suit Gazin, and for certain there is plenty of the estate signature here - dark fruits, bitter chocolate, firm tannins and architectural angles. Excellent persistency, this stretches out through the palate. Impressive rather than loveable perhaps, but there is depth and concentration and it is just about starting to open up, underscoring as ever that Gazin is among the last of the Pomerols to reach its drinking window. Drinking Window 2020 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DECA subtle red with ultra-fine tannins that accentuate a palate of chocolate, berries and nuts. Full and very round. It’s refined and beautiful. Hard not to drink now but wait at least five years. Top wine from Gazin.James Suckling | 95 JSDense, with a dark, smoldering feel as charcoal and coffee weave around a core of mulled fig, blackberry and boysenberry fruit. The long, muscular finish features singed iron and black tea notes for added range. Needs a little time, but should unfurl nicely. Best from 2015 through 2030.Wine Spectator | 93 WSRich fruit currants and berries, intensely juicy, packed with dark very ripe fruit. A powerhouse of berries.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2010 Montevetrano is flat-out gorgeous. Vibrant, floral aromatics lead to layers of beautifully delineated fruit in this finely sculpted chiseled Montevetrano. A wine of extraordinary beauty, the 2010 impresses for its clarity and nuance. I don’t think I have ever tasted a young Montevetrano with this much pure silkiness and finesse. There is a level of precision and delineation in the 2010 that is truly marvelous. I can’t wait to see how it ages. The 2010 is also notable for a much higher percentage of Aglianico (30%) than has been common in the past, while the international varieties are less prominent in the blend. In 2010 Montevetrano is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Aglianico and 20% Merlot, which means the Cabernet Sauvignon now plays a much smaller role in the blend.Vinous Media | 96 VM

Ceretto's 2010 Barolo Brunate is strikingly beautiful. Silky and polished to the core, the 2010 graces the palate with exquisite finesse and gorgeous textural balance. Dark red cherries, plums, spices, tobacco and menthol all flesh out in the glass. This is a decidedly polished, resonant Brunate Barolo. Crushed flowers, spices and mint wrap around the finish. There is a level of pure density in the glass that is striking, but the full Brunate signatures are going to take time to fully blossom.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThe 2010 Barolo Brunate takes Nebbiolo intensity up a notch thanks to the utter purity and generosity of the bouquet. The wine is aged in French oak, of which 20% is new and 80% is neutral. Always a powerhouse cru, fruit from Brunate tends to be darker and thicker in concentration. This is certainly the case here and you can feel that extra tannic bite on the close. Evolving aromas include white peppercorn, licorice, chopped mint and crushed granite or flint. This is a gorgeous effort. Drink: 2017-2030.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPIntense and quite oaky, with aromas of orange peel and raspberries. The attack is sleek, but the palate is full and rich, with solid fruit and ripe tannins. No heaviness here, however – a long, balanced finish.Decanter | 92 DECElegant and intense, boasting cherry, currant and strawberry notes accented by licorice, tobacco and woodsy spice details. Shows a chalky texture, well-integrated tannins and a hint of licorice on the long finish. Taut and linear. Best from 2017 through 2029. 500 cases made, 125 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSToasted oak, espresso and a whiff of tire rubber open the nose on this wine. The palate displays crushed black cherry alongside coffee, sweet vanilla and plum. Bracing tannins need time to integrate.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. A strong performance from Batailley under blind conditions, easily surpassing its showing at the UGC in London last year. The 2010 has a very elegant bouquet with blackberry, cedar and leather, well defined and very nicely focused, though not the most vigorous amongst its peers. The palate is very well balanced with filigree tannins, perfectly judged acidity and a very appealing "classic" style of Pauillac very the top drawer. What a superb Pauillac - a benchmark Batailley. Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP-NM(Château Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Well-integrated 55% new oak and a great vintage from this 60ha estate, reflecting the precision in vineyard selection and winemaking that has only improved as second and third wines have been introduced. Fresh and refined, evoking subtle power, yet with a smooth texture, like satin. Sensual cassis, kirsch and forest strawberry jam aromatics. Try with roast quail in rosemary and thyme. (Drink between 2021-2050)Decanter | 95 DECAromas of freshly sliced mushrooms and dark fruits. Full body, with an incredible depth of fruit and finesse here. The tannins are amazing quality. Love the texture. Give it four to five years of bottle age.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2010 Batailley has a vivacious, outgoing and quintessentially Pauillac nose with blackberry, mint and graphite bursting from the glass and demanding attention! The palate is medium-bodied with ample black fruit laced with graphite, sage and cracked black pepper. Wonderful depth and grip here, fanning out nicely towards the finish where there is a soupçon of oak still to be subsumed, therefore give this another three or four years. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMWith advice from consultant and Bordeaux University professor Denis Dubourdieu, Batailley has improved immensely in the past few years. This 2010 reinforces that trend, revealing a wine that is structured with Cabernet Sauvignon and is attractive with black currant fruitiness. Age for the medium-term.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis sports suave, mocha-infused toast, showing notes of dark plum, blackberry sauce and steeped fig. The dense, cocoa-coated finish has a smoldering tobacco note in the background. Rustic and slightly chewy in the end, but a bit of cellaring should tame this easily. Best from 2014 through 2026.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

This wine displays plenty of black raspberries, black currants, espresso roast, Asian soy and plum sauce along with some mocha and chocolate. Beautifully rich, firm, and full-bodied, with sweet but abundant tannins, this is a classy, noble style of wine that should be forgotten for at least 5-7 years and drunk over the following 20. Remarkably, the alcohol, like most of the wines in the J. P. Moueix stable of Pomerols and St.-Emilions, hit 14.5%.A tiny production of only 1,000 cases in 2010 (versus 1,500 in most vintages), its proprietor Christian Moueix has turned out a more tannic, structured, backward style of Hosanna than the 2009 or, for that matter, the 2008.Robert Parker | 96+ RPBeautiful nose with ripe strawberries, red apple and vanilla. Wonderful floral notes too. Sumptuous ripe red fruit and juicy acidity on the palate with finely knit tannins. Full-bodied and very juicy with a soft silky texture and good length. It's hard not to drink it now. But much better in 2017.James Suckling | 96 JSA fleshy, alluring style, with strong structure, displaying plum, fig and boysenberry fruit laced with incense, Lapsang souchong tea and violet notes. Almost creamy, this features a thread of charcoal lending extra drive and depth on the finish. Seems to expand rapidly in the glass, boding well for cellaring. Best from 2017 through 2030. 1,000 cases made, 212 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSHigh-quality, 40-year-old Cab Franc planted on fine gravelly soil gives Cheval Blanc-like results. The 2010 is the best Hosanna ever, offering fragrant raspberry, blackcurrant, espresso and soy notes. Power in spades! Drinking Window 2025 - 2050Decanter | 94 DEC(Château Hosanna) The 2010 Hosanna is one top Pomerol that seems better in 2010 than it did in 2009, as this is an impressively tight, complex and refined example of this rather exuberant vintage. The bouquet is deep, classy and nicely reserved out of the blocks, delivering a blend of dark berries, black cherries, cigar smoke, gravelly soil tones, a touch of espresso and a stylish framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, suave and very refined, with the inherent power of the vintage felt here as great intensity of flavor at the core. The ripely tannic and well-balanced finish delivers excellent grip, and this wine should be absolutely stunning with a decade’s worth of bottle age. (Drink between 2020-2070)John Gilman | 94 JGThis is a wine that is all tannin at this young stage. It is firmly dry and structured with a tight, dark texture. It has the concentrated fruit to sustain this initial severity, but will need many more years to show its power.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2010 Hosanna shows much more ripeness on the nose compared to its peers, more red fruit with perfumed cherries and bergamot tea aromas, rose petal and sage. The palate is silky smooth with what feels like a fair proportion of Cabernet Franc. It does not quite kick on towards the somewhat oaky finish, though this is very seductive. Unlike other Pomerols, you could broach this now. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Wonderfully elegant expression of Pauillac Cabernet, just pure, refined fruit reserved for the future. This is all sophisticated elegance for a great future. Drinking Window 2017 - 2040Decanter | 95 DECThis is firm and structured with blueberry and hazelnut character. Full body, with fine tannins and a juicy finish. So long and pretty. Wonderful texture. Better after 2017.James Suckling | 94 JSTasted at a vertical tasting at the château. The 2010 Haut Batailley is beginning to reach the potential I enthused about when I first tasted this from barrel. Much like the 2009 Haut-Batailley, it has a very expressive bouquet that needs a lot of coaxing from the glass. And like many 2010s it is a broody bugger, stubborn and obdurate but when you get to the palate...this is where the action is! This is where the quality positively shines through with very fine tannin: extremely pure fruit, a judicious touch of spice and a long and tender finish that is seamless. It needs 8-10 years for those aromatics to open but judging by the quality of the palate, it will be worth the wait. Tasted July 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92+ RP-NMA fresh, polished, forward style, with scrumptious plum and cassis fruit judiciously laced with toasted apple wood and cedar, sporting a well-integrated finish of violets and iron. Should be more accessible than most 2010 Pauillacs early on. Drink now through 2025. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Two bottles of the 2010 Grand Puy-Lacoste were opened, the first showing just a little oxidation. The second has an attractive minty bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit laced with subtle marine/seaweed notes, a touch of graphite developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive tension and wonderful freshness right from the start. There is a sense of coiled up energy here and the finish just leaves you breathless. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 97 VMFreshness and seamless elegance, with vivid, bright red and black fruit. Floral aspects evoke a sense of Margaux elegance, but the palate’s noticeable grip and backbone remind you that this is Pauillac. From vines on deep gravels, ideal for ripening the 75% plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon. Such refinement and power go with prime rib in a truffle sauce. (Drink between 2021-2050)Decanter | 96 DECIntense hazelnuts and blackberries on the nose follow through to a full to medium body, with chocolate and berry flavors and firm tannins. Not giving away a lot at the finish at the moment. Reserved and sophisticated. But structured and chewy. Try in 2017.James Suckling | 95 JSAn absolutely magnificent wine from this very popular estate, which sits well off the Route du Vin, just to the southwest of the town of Pauillac, its classic creme de cassis and floral notes are well-displayed. The wine possesses supple tannin, a full body, voluptuous character and a layered, impressively textured mouthfeel. This is a brilliant effort from Grand Puy Lacoste that can be drunk in 4-5 years or cellared for three decades or more.Robert Parker | 95 RPVery densely tannic wine, the dry character of the wine a major element. This dryness gives the wine power, without the fruit at this stage. It does have the weight for the future.Wine Enthusiast | 92-94 WEThis is dense but silky around the edges, with crushed plum and black currant fruit lined with roasted vanilla bean, tobacco and loam notes. Everything hangs solidly through the finish, lined with finely beaded acidity and leaving an echo of singed anise. Best from 2015 through 2028.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste) Grand-Puy-Lacoste has turned out quite well in 2010, with a rather modest 13.4 percent alcohol certainly adding a bit in terms of precision and purity to the wine than is on display at many of its neighbors. The classy nose offers up a ripe, but pure blend of sweet cassis, black cherries, espresso, cigar smoke, gravel and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite powerful in profile, with a good core of fruit, plenty of firm, ripe tannins and excellent balance on the long and impressively focused finish. Good juice. (Drink between 2020-2060)John Gilman | 91+ JG

A towering, statuesque wine, the 2010 Pavie-Macquin is distinguished by its vertical explosiveness and soaring intensity. Red cherry jam, plums and dried flowers are some of the many aromas and flavors that open up as the 2010 gains breadth over time. Naturally, the 2010 is still a very young wine, but it is incredibly impressive just the same, not to mention one of the highlights of the morning.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis takes the fruit of 2009 but harnesses it even more quickly, with rivets of graphite and apple wood studding the core of plum sauce, blackberry reduction and raspberry pâte de fruit. Ample singed apple wood lines the finish, melded wonderfully with the fruit, while the minerality lingers on and on in the background, waiting in reserve. Around it all, a beguiling violet note dances. The combination of power and purity is a wonderful thing.--Non-blind Pavie Macquin vertical (December 2014). Best from 2020 through 2035. 3,750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis is always an extremely masculine, dense, burly wine, and the 2010, which tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol (just slightly under that of the 2009), has a final blend of 80% Merlot and the rest virtually all Cabernet Franc, with just 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Loads of crushed rock and chalkiness, along with licorice, black truffle, smoked game and black fruits dominate the aromatics and flavor. Backward, formidably endowed, full-bodied and almost atypically massive and huge, with gargantuan extraction, this is a wine for patient connoisseurs to forget about for close to a decade. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2040.Robert Parker | 95+ RPGorgeous nose with great complexity. Blackberry, licorice and a steely mineral note. Lots of chalk, nutmeg and violets too. Dense and full-bodied on the palate with a beautiful fruit and a sumptuous fruity finish that just goes on and on. Velvety tannins and layered texture with lots of raw licorice. Drink from 2018.James Suckling | 95 JSThis is delicious, walking the line of light and concentrated, showing clever winemaking and highlighting the the slate-filled, wall-climbing brilliance of limestone. Dark fruits again, this vintage really emphasises cassis and blackberry notes, even if the levels of concentration vary. Tannins are elongated, plentiful but delicate, extremely hard to disagree with the quality of this. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042Decanter | 94 DECA juicy and fruity wine that’s sustained by attractive tannins, giving both freshness and a balance of structure. The bright acidity lifts the wine while the tannins promise future aging. The wine is stylish, almost understated, but likely to develop impressively.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

Wonderful aromas of currants and blackberries with hints of spices. Full body, with fabulous tannins and a long and creamy texture to the finish. I love the depth of fruit to this. Best ever from here. Great value for the vintage. Try in 2017.James Suckling | 95 JSAlthough this wine has tannins, it's the fruit that shines, with its delicious black-currant flavor and acidity. It is more fine and elegant than it is powerful, a pleasant surprise from Saint-Estèphe in this vintage For medium-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEDeep garnet colored, the 2010 Ormes de Pez slips sensuously from the glass with seductive blackberry pie, Black Forest cake and kirsch scents plus nuances of candied violets, hoisin, dark chocolate and licorice. Full-bodied, rich and plush in the mouth, it has a fantastic line of freshness lifting all the decadent fruit to a long, energy-sparked finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPA more open, ready to drink and less muscled wine than many others in this lineup, but it valiantly holds its own, and offers a great deal of pleasure at this 10 year window. Ready to drink and welcoming with a fruit character that is a juicy frank blackberry rather than the tight, concentrated cassis that you find in many. A good choice for medium term drinking, with the confidence of the vintage. Drinking Window 2020 - 2038Decanter | 91 DECThe 2010 Les Ormes de Pez has a ripe and fruit-driven bouquet with tons of wild strawberry, cranberry and undergrowth notes, well defined if not quite as complex as its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins. Good acidity, nicely proportioned with a touch of spice on the finish, this constitutes one of the more approachable Saint-Estèphe wines, with the substance to suggest that it will drink over the next 10-15 years. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 91 VMDark and winey, with good damson plum, black currant and mulled spice notes pushed by a tangy iron note and flecks of savory and chalk on the finish. The judicious toast lets the pure fruit drive along. Best from 2015 through 2025.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Bizarre as it may sound, the 2010 Les Forts de Latour is also the finest I have ever tasted from this selection, which comes from specific vineyards, not really so much a second wine as just another wine from estate holdings. A blend of 72.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27.5% Merlot that represents 40% of the production, this astonishing wine hit 14.3% natural alcohol. Extremely ripe and rich, it reminds me of the 1982 on steroids (and that wine is still drinking great 30 years after the vintage). Sensational notes of graphite, crushed rocks, black fruits, camphor and damp forest notes are present in this expansive, savory, full-throttle wine, which is better than many vintages of the great Latour itself from the past. (That may be a heretical statement, but it’s the truth as I see it.) This wine needs a good 5-6 years of cellaring and should age for three decades at minimum, given the fact that the 1982 is in terrific form and wasn’t this concentrated or prodigious.Robert Parker | 97 RPAromas of currants, blueberries and blackberries with a dark chocolate undertone. Perfumes and beautiful. Full body, with velvety tannins that are fine-tuned and tentative. It lasts for minutes. Gorgeous fruit and richness. Perhaps the greatest Les Fort ever? Try in 2018.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2010 Les Forts de Latour puts the Carruades de Lafite in the shade with its fabulous and disarmingly pure black fruit laced with tobacco and smoke. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity and an unerring and inspiring sense of symmetry towards the finish. This is a Deuxième Vin with a surfeit of pedigree and frankly puts some of the Grand Vins in the shade. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMA solid, briary, grippy, tarry Pauillac, with a sappy edge to the kirsch, blackberry, plum skin and steeped fig notes, liberally laced with anise and tar. Shows good energy through the finish, with a cassis bush note echoing. Best from 2017 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 95 WSPowerful, yet beautiful and smoothly structured. It has ripe, rich fruits, spice and sweet acidity. As a contrast, there is a dense core of tannins where the wine shows some severity and youth.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE(Forts de Latour) The 2010 Forts de Latour is a deep and very powerful example of the vintage, with its 14.3 percent alcohol translating into some serious muscle, rather than overtly overripe aromatics of flavors. The deep and concentrated nose offers up scents of black cherries, cassis, espresso, cigar wrapper, gravelly soil tones, plenty of cedar and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, broad-shouldered and rock solid at the core, with plenty of firm, substantial tannins, notable acidity and superb length and grip on the powerful finish. This is a very well-made wine, but the slightly blunter style of the 2010 in comparison to the 2009 is quite apparent, and while in terms of sheer quality, the two vintages may be equivalent, I have a strong preference stylistically for the more precise and minerally 2009 Forts de Latour. (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 91 JGPretty high aromatics on the first nose, peony and violet edging, extremely accomplished on the palate, although acidity is a little higher than in others in the appellation. Gives a sense of grip and tension, a fairly dramatic Forts de Latour. It settles, and this is a wine that is packed with layers, extremely complex, hard to pick apart the competing forces of fruit, spice, earth. Drinking Window 2020 - 2037Decanter | 91 DEC

One of the stand outs of the vintage, Lisini's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino fleshes out in all directions with gorgeous, expansive richness. The flavors are dark, bold and incisive, yet backed up by notable freshness. A crescendo of incredibly pure dark red and black stone fruits builds on the huge finish. The 2010 is dazzling, but readers will have to be patient.Vinous Media | 95 VMA silky and refined wine with pepper, spice and berry character. Full body, fine and dense tannins and a juicy finish. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSLisini's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino opens to dark concentration and extraction. On first nose, it shows floral aromas of pressed rose and violet, but after a few minutes in the glass the wine begins to offer dark cherry, dried blackberry, Indian spice, teriyaki sauce, crushed mineral, licorice and cola. Its personality bridges aspects of both elegance and power. The 2010 vintage offers a very beautiful interpretation for Carlo Lisini Baldi. The mouthfeel is extremely soft and supple. It delivers pretty end notes of dusty mineral and clay earth. This delicious wine has nowhere to go but forward.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPBright, evoking pure cherry and strawberry flavors, with light touches of earth, briar and tobacco in the background. Juicy and elegant, firming up on the long, tea- and iron-accented aftertaste. Best from 2018 through 2030. 2,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSBroad fresh and sweetly smoky. Pure Floral and mineral red berry aromas give plenty of life. Good tannin structure with spices; complex and full bodied, should develop. Drinking Window 2017 - 2026.Decanter | 90 DECEarthy aromas of violet, mature berry, sage, tilled soil and a funky note of game lead the nose. The funky note carries over to the palate along with dried plum and white pepper. Youthfully austere tannins provide the backbone.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE