The VAULT

wines

(Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru Red) A notably floral character adds breadth to the highly spiced and exceptionally fresh nose of cool red currant and plum. The rich, refined and admirably pure middle weight flavors are supported and shaped by ultra-fine tannins that coat the mouth on the incredibly long finish. Despite the underlying tension, this is essentially a wine of finesse and harmony that should also age for a very long time if desired. Brilliant and remarkably complex. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 96 BHGood full red. Vibrant perfume of raspberry, spices and minerals. Boasts outstanding dark berry intensity, with powerful crushed-stone minerality and a saline quality giving great energy and tension to the middle palate. Finishes with remarkable rising length, utterly suave tannins and superb lift. Like the Suchots, this is already wonderfully aromatic but is built for a decade or two of improvement in bottle.Vinous Media | 95+ VM(Romanée-St.-Vivant- Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux) The 2010 Romanée-St.-Vivant from Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, not surprisingly, ash the best depth of fruit to stand up to the wood tannins here, and this wine is not bad at all. The nose is a complex and classy blend of cherries, orange peel, coffee, Vosne spices, lovely soil tones and plenty of smoky, luxe-styled new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a good core of fruit, fine focus and very good length and grip on the chewy and only modestly over-oaked finish. This will have no trouble eventually absorbing its wood tannin, as it is only showing a touch of backend dryness at this time, and it will be a pretty good bottle at its apogee. But, should one expect more from an expensive example of Romanée-St.-Vivant in a great year? This will certainly not offer up even a modicum of value. (Drink between 2016-2040)John Gilman | 91+ JG

A big, bold wine with unbelievable power and concentration. Low yields and a dominance of Cabernet Franc have produced an immensely concentrated wine. Still very young, this magnificent wine holds the promise of great aging.Wine Enthusiast | 99 WEThe 2010 Ausone struck me as another brilliant, potentially perfect wine, which should come as no shock to people who have been following Vauthier’s work over the last decade or more. Backward and intense, this wine offers up notes of crushed chalk/rock mineralilty interwoven with blueberry, black raspberry and cassis as well as some graphite and vanillin. It is incredibly rich but at the same time precise, fresh and vivacious. This is a super wine, but it will require enormous patience from its potential suitors. Forget it for a decade and drink it over the following 50+ years.One of the other perfectionist, compulsive producers in St.-Emilion is Alain Vauthier, who is now capably assisted by his daughter.Robert Parker | 98+ RPThe nose is so deep and almost endless with dried strawberries, blueberries, and incense. Citrus too. Some prunes. Full body, with chewy yet polished tannin quality and tension. Beautiful focus and balance with a richness and delicacy at the same time. Something almost Burgundian. It's the purity of fruit. 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. Try in 2020.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2010 Ausone has a rich, opulent, modern style bouquet with crème de cassis and blueberry aromas tinged with crushed violet. There is plenty of new oak here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a ton of blue and black fruit. It does not quite deliver the personality of its peers, although the velvety texture is very alluring. Maybe it will develop into something more interesting with bottle age, possibly going through a close phase? Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94+ VMVery sappy and intense, offering racy red licorice, red currant and violet notes, with nice taut acidity and a long, minerally finish. Combines power and austerity, with excellent drive. For those who like backbone in their wines.Wine Spectator | 94-97 WS

From the moment we put together this tasting, I knew the 2010 Barolo had to be in the lineup because of its historical significance. It is arguably the greatest wine ever made here. Although naturally very young, the 2010 is super-expressive and also one of the clear highlights of the evening. All the elements simply fall into place. The interplay of aromatics, fruit and structure is utterly captivating. In many ways, the 2010 represents a culmination of all the work Maria Teresa Mascarello and her team have done over the last two decades to elevate quality. The gentleman to my left tells me I made a mistake in my initial review and score of the 2010. I agree.Antonio Galloni | 100 AGFrom one of the denomination’s leading traditional producers, this gorgeous, elegant Barolo opens with floral aromas of dried rose petals, woodland berries, leather, spice and whiffs of balsamic herbs. The palate seamlessly combines crisp, red cherry-berry fruit, white pepper and mint balanced by firm but polished tannins and bright acidity. Full of finesse, it will age majestically. Drink after 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 99 WEA floral-, cherry- and berry-laced version, delicate and lively, with mineral and spice accents. The texture is supple, with a glycerol feel. Borders on racy, with woodsy and mineral notes emerging on the pleasantly long finish. Best from 2017 through 2035. 1,250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe 2010 Barolo is a singularly elegant expression that benefits from extremely long maceration time (up to 54 days) and a non-interventionists’ winemaking philosophy. The wine is superb in its elegance and finesse that caresses the palate in the most delicate and ethereal manner imaginable. Small fruit tones are enhanced by ash, crushed mineral, licorice and dried mint. Because of changes in how Barolo can be labeled, the wine no longer carries the names of the four single-vineyards that make up the traditional blend for this wine (Canubbi, San Lorenzo, Rue and Rocche di La Morra). Instead, this historic wine is now labeled straightforward “Barolo.” Drink: 2017-2038.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPPure floral red berries and refined tannins; an essence of Barolo. Drinking Window 2022 - 2045Decanter | 95 DEC

The 2010 is a more structured, masculine and steely version of the utterly compelling 2009. Tasting like black raspberry confiture with subtle notes of graphite and crushed chalk along with enormous floral notes, the wine displays a slightly smoky character but a voluptuous attack, mid-palate and finish. Its is full-bodied and massively endowed, with every component perfectly etched in this extraordinary wine, which should be drinkable after 7-8 years of bottle age and last for a half-century or more. This is brilliant stuff. Composed of 73% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from yields of 21 hectoliters per hectare, the alcohol is the highest ever registered at Beausejour-Duffau, coming in at 15%, but remarkably, the pH is modest and the acids relatively elevated, giving the wine an astonishing freshness and precision that is hard to believe in view of its power, density and length. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2055+.Anyone who has read this publication or visited St.-Emilion knows that this is a magical terroir capable of great things. It was only fully exploited in the past in the 1990 vintage, but has reached more consistently great heights over the last three or four years. Kudos to the duo of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt for what they have achieved over the last few years at Beausejour-Duffau.Robert Parker | 100 RPClearly the best wine from here since 1989 or 1990. The intensity of dark fruits is insane with citrus and flowers as well as dark fruits. Full and lively with a finish that lasts for minutes but it is dense and impressive.James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe Left Bank character of this St-Émilion wine is on full display. Concentration and depth, liquorice root and dark bitter chocolate. This is intense and the tannins remain just a little impenetrable. An impressive wine that speaks of its terroir and is packed with estate signature. Will age extremely well (I enjoyed a 100 year old wine from Larcis Ducasse in 2019, and wouldn’t bet against this one making the grade). 60% new oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2045Decanter | 97 DECVivid ruby. Captivating aromas of blackcurrant, red cherry, sweet spices and minerals are complemented by a strikingly pure violet nuance. Enters the mouth lush and concentrated, offering sweet dark berry and coffee flavors lifted by notes of black pepper, graphite and Asian spices. Turns more austere on the back half but remains very pure, hinting at uncommon depth and complexity. This classic, elegantly styled BDL finishes long and crisp, with very polished tannins and floral and mineral echoes.Vinous Media | 95 VMA beautiful, floral-tinged style, with a delightfully expressive core of kirsch and linzer torte that bursts forth, while lots of red licorice, bergamot, black tea and blood orange notes fill in the remaining space. This has terrific range, with a long, creamy finish as well, but don’t be fooled, there’s serious grip in reserve and should cruise in the cellar. Best from 2015 through 2030.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA solid and dense wine, showing the big improvements at this château. It hovers deliciously between acidity and ripe, forward fruit. The touch of smokiness from the wood aging goes with the fragrant, juicy black cherry and berry fruits. The wine will certainly age over many years.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

The 2010 is one of the most impressive two-year-old Cheval Blancs I have tasted in 34 years in this profession. The final blend of 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot has the tell-tale berry/floral nose with subtle hints of menthol, blueberry, raspberry and flowers in addition to some forest floor and a delicate touch of lead pencil shavings. The wine exhibits more structure and density than it did from barrel, and it was already remarkable then. The foresty/floral notes seem to linger and linger in this surprisingly full-bodied, powerful Cheval Blanc, yet it possesses a very healthy pH that should ensure enormous longevity. Dense purple in color, and a bigger, richer wine than usual, this is one Cheval Blanc that will probably need a decade of cellaring. I like the description from the estate’s administrator, Pierre Lurton, who said it tasted like “liquid cashmere,” a perfect expression, despite the wine’s structure and intensity. This is another 50-year wine from this amazingly structured, rich vintage.Robert Parker | 100 RPShowing even better than a bottle a few years ago, the 2010 Chateau Cheval Blanc is perfection in a glass and wine doesn’t get any better. As with the 2009, it’s a powerful, concentrated Cheval Blanc, yet it has a slightly dark, cooler profile in its smoky black fruits, graphite, new leather, crushed rocks and cured meat aromas and flavors. Where the 2009 hits the palate with a sunny, sexy style, this stays more inward and masculine, yet it still has incredible sweetness of fruit, flawless integration of its fruit, tannins, and acidity, a great mid-palate, and a finish that goes on for over a minute. It opens up with time in the glass and offers incredible pleasure today, with an exotic masculine yet sexy style, but feel free to enjoy this legendary wine any time over the coming 3-4 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe aromas here are crazy with flowers, mushroom, forest floor, and fruit. It seems like I am walking through a row of the vines in Cheval Blanc when I have my nose in the glass. It’s full-bodied, with fabulous layers of ultra-fine tannins and milk chocolate, raspberries, and a phenomenal finish. Truly one of the greatest Chevals ever. Better than 2009. Try in 2020.James Suckling | 100 JSThis is the finest Cheval Blanc for many years. It is, quite simply, magnificent. The wine shows the greatness of Cabernet Franc in the vintage, with 57% of the variety in the blend. It is beautifully structured and perfumed, with velvety tannins, balanced acidity and swathes of black-currant and black-cherry fruits. It’s well on course to becoming a legendary wine.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WEThis is stone-cold shut down right now, but why worry? You’ll want to wait at least a decade before breaching a bottle as massively endowed as this, with loads of loamy bass notes thumping along underneath a riveting track of licorice snap, pastis-steeped black currant fruit, maduro tobacco and espresso. And then there’s an echo of petrichor at the very end that hints at the aromatic fireworks to come with cellaring. Should compete for wine of the vintage. Best from 2020 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 2010 Cheval Blanc has another extravagant bouquet with ample red cherries, raspberry preserve, mulberry, fig and singed leather. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, quite dense and assertive, backward with a sinewy finish that just feels a little forced compared to some of the other wines in this flight. With time in the glass, the new oak seems to dominate the finish. I have definitely had far superior bottles, but that’s the way it goes. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Château Cheval Blanc) The 2010 Cheval Blanc is also 14.5 percent in alcohol and was made up with a fairly high percentage of merlot for this estate, with the blend comprised of only fifty-six percent cabernet franc and forty-four percent merlot. It is an extremely powerful young vintage of Cheval Blanc and worlds away from the refined and opulently seductive style of the 2009 here. The bouquet offers up a dense and very ripe blend of black cherries, menthol, coffee bean, a good base of gravelly soil, cigar smoke and new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and seamless on the attack, with plenty of overt ripeness in evidence, a rock solid core of fruit and plenty of substantial, well-integrated tannins on the very long and powerful finish. This will need plenty of time in the cellar to blossom, but should probably turn out to be a fine bottle with sufficient bottle age. It avoids the pitfalls of sur maturité, questionable balance and uncovered alcohol that plague so many of its neighbors in St. Émilion in this vintage, but it is a rather atypically broad-shouldered vintage for this great estate. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 92-93+ JG

The 2010 Proprietary Red Cariad reveals great intensity along with abundant notes of unsmoked tobacco leaf interwoven with blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit, charcoal and coffee bean nuances as well as a Pauillac-like lead pencil shaving character. This blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 14% Cabernet Franc is one of the finest wines I tasted over the 12 days I spent tasting in Napa Valley in late August and early September. This remarkable 2010 should drink beautifully for 20 or more years.Robert Parker | 100 RP(a blend of 48% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 14% petit verdot and 10% cabernet franc): Saturated, bright ruby-red. Deeper and darker on the nose than the Tychson Hill cabernet, offering vibrant scents of blackcurrant, graphite minerality and bitter chocolate. At once round and delineated in the mouth, with dark berry and mineral flavors displaying outstanding depth without excess weight. With its very firm tannic structure, this typically Medoc-like wine will need a good eight to ten years to evolve in bottle and may ultimately merit an even higher rating. These vines in Madrona Vineyard in St. Helena were planted on an alluvial fan in the 1980s.Vinous Media | 95+ VMLots of ripe fruit, chocolate and iron. Full body, with loads of velvety tannins and a round and rich palate. It is round and mouthfilling yet fresh and beautiful. Delicious already but will improve with age.James Suckling | 95 JSNotable for its charcoal and graphite woodiness, along with its edgy entry into the core of dark berry fruit. Keeps you at arm’s length, with the flavors both concentrated and nuanced. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2024. 550 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2010 IX Estate is another perfect wine. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by copious aromas of blueberries, cassis, pen ink, asphalt, licorice and subtle oak. Full-bodied and rich but light on its feet, this spectacular effort was created from a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. Enjoy this profound wine over the next 25+ years.Robert Parker | 100 RPSuper-complex on the nose with roses, pure fruit and walnuts. Hints of plums. It’s full-bodied with velvety tannins and crazy spicy character. Firm, chewy texture. Savory finish. Even slightly salty.James Suckling | 97 JSSaturated bright ruby to the rim. Initially brooding, dark nose opened spectacularly with aeration to reveal complex scents of blackberry, blueberry, licorice pastille, minerals, mocha, smoky rocks, black olive and dark chocolate. Enters the mouth with a plush wave of fruit, but lovely mineral and floral lift gives the mid-palate shape and definition. Large-scaled, wonderfully sweet, voluptuous, seamless wine with powerful, saline soil and rock tones and substantial but utterly refined, harmonious tannins. Finishes plush, broad, sweet and long, saturating the mouth and building. This beauty may be close to its apogee right now but it should go on for at least another 15 years. A superb showing.Vinous Media | 96 VMDeep garnet in color, the 2010 IX Estate flies out of the glass with maturing scents of prunes, stewed blackberries, and fruitcake, followed by hints of wild sage, damp soil, and unsmoked cigars with a waft of wet slate. The medium to full-bodied palate is bright and drinking nicely now, with chewy tannins and a refreshing backbone, finishing on a lingering umami note and an herbal lift.The Wine Independent | 95 TWIFrom a late, cool vintage, the 2010s from Napa often find more favour with European than Californian palates. Very deep in colour, this is now showing some evolution. The nose is rich in blackcurrant and mint aromas; it’s vibrant and stylish. The palate is weightier, with more opulence and firm tannins. Sleek and elegant, the long finish is threaded by fine acidity.Decanter | 94 DECPleasing for its richness, elegance and finesse, this graceful red presents a delicate mix of dark berry, licorice, light cedar and loamy earth, gliding along on the finish, where the wine is amazingly polished. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2026. 1,100 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2010 Musigny Vieilles Vignes is incredibly long and silky on the palate. Saline notes add urgency and vibrancy to the expressive red fruit in this beautifully woven, textured Musigny. Currently the Musigny appears to be revealing just a fraction of its potential. The sweet floral notes and super-refined red fruit that emerge over time are stunningly beautiful, though, and it is just a matter of time before the wine is fully formed. Today the 2010 is all about textural finesse, and there is no shortage of that in the glass. This is another stunningly beautiful wine from de Vogue. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2045.Long-time oenologist Francois Millet was away during my visit to Burgundy, so I can’t relay his always visually evocative thoughts on recent vintages. At the end of the day, though, these wines need no words; they speak for themselves, and then some. Commercial director Jean-Luc Pepin was kind enough to show me all of the 2010s and 2009s (from bottle), including the seldom seen Bourgogne Blanc. I will report on the 2009s in the April issue.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-97 RP(bottled in March of 2012; this and the Bonnes-Mares were aged in 35% new oak): Deep, bright red-ruby. Brilliantly pure aromas of black raspberry, cherry and crushed limestone. Sharply chiseled, sappy and weightless in the mouth, with uncanny limestone cut to the flavors of raspberry, flowers and wild herbs. Spreads out insidiously to saturate and perfume the palate. Judging from this wine’s tactile, bracing finish, endless perfume and firm tannic spine, it should gain in nuance for two or three decades in a cool cellar.Vinous Media | 97+ VMA highly spiced and intensely floral nose evidences hints of violet, lilac, wild rose and lavender along with notes of both red and black pinot fruit and a kirsch nuances. The pure and intense yet silky broad-shouldered flavors possess a powerful yet almost delicate mouth feel thanks to the dense but fine tannins shaping the balanced, focused and delineated mineral-driven finish. This remains unapologetically built to age and indeed it will require plenty of it. In a word, impressive.Burghound | 97 BH(Musigny “Vieilles Vignes”- Domaine de Comte de Vogüé) The 2010 Comte de Vogüé Musigny is a beautiful wine in the making, as it soars from the glass in an aristocratic mélange of red and black cherries, blood orange, raw cocoa, stunningly complex minerality, a bit of raspberry, mustard seed, coffee, dried violets and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and youthfully tight, with a sappy core of fruit, outstanding transparency, tangy acids, ripe, well-integrated tannins and outstanding length and grip on the very minerally finish. A beautiful and utterly classic bottle of Comte de Vogüé Musigny in the making. (Drink between 2022-2075).John Gilman | 95-97+ JG

Pale to medium lemon-gold color, the 2010 d’Yquem has retreated into its shell at this youthful stage, offering spritely suggestions of lemon curd, lime cordial and green mango with wafts of honeysuckle, spice cake, sea spray and beeswax plus a hint of gingerbread. The palate really comes through with super intense, tightly wound citrus, savory and mineral layers carried by a laser-precise backbone of freshness, finishing with crazy persistence that lingers a full three minutes and then some. This is going to be a very exotic, opulent Yquem!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP(Château d’Yquem (Sauternes)) The 2010 Château d’Yquem is an utterly stunning young wine and a very worthy follow-up to the magical wine produced at this estate in 2009. The bouquet is deep, complex and flat out brilliant, as it soars from the glass in a celestial mélange of pineapple, tangerines, a touch of passion fruit, honeycomb, beautifully complex and chalky soil tones, spring flowers and a very gentle touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, suave and utterly seamless, with great mid-palate depth, bright acids and surreal length and grip on the dancing and very intensely flavored finish. The 2010 d’Yquem is not quite as ethereally complex at this stage as the hauntingly beautiful 2009, but in terms of sheer quality, it seems likely to be every bit as profound. (Drink between 2020-2100)John Gilman | 98+ JGA pure, racy, floral style, with bright white peach, heather and honeysuckle notes driving along. The core of fresh orchard fruit is unctuous, the finish long and lacy, with marvelous cut and finesse. This shows the balance and elegance of a cooler year with a longer harvest period.—Non-blind Yquem vertical (July 2014). Best from 2015 through 2045. 8,334 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe purity of Botrytis in this wine is so impressive with dried fruits such apple and mango. And then spicy character. Full body and very sweet but it is incredibly fresh and lively. Such class and elegance. Perfectly manicured wine. Everything in the right place. This shows a delicacy and intensity that are spellbinding. Drink in 2018.James Suckling | 97 JSStunningly rich in character, a wine with great power to go with its acidity and sweetness. It is dense, powerful and concentrated powered by honey and by spice from the wood. The finish has dried apricots, very aromatic.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2010 Yquem has an attractive bouquet with marmalade, caramelized pear, orange pith and light puff pastry notes. It just needs a little more delineation. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, lightly spiced and impressive focus. Like the aromatics, I would have just liked a little more precision on the finish. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VM

(Romanée-St.-Vivant- Domaine Dujac) There is always very little Romanée-St.-Vivant in the Dujac cellars, and with the very short yields in 2010, this chronic shortage will be exacerbated. I cannot recall precisely how few barrels there were of the RSV this year, but there is not much of this magical elixir. The profoundly complex nose offers up scents of cherries, raspberries, coffee, exotic spice tones, a brilliant base of soil, a touch of pain epice, woodsmoke, gamebird and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, very pure and elegant, with kaleidoscopic minerality, refined tannins, tangy acids and stunning length and grip on the beautiful finish. (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 97+ JG(Domaine Dujac Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru Red) Like several of these 2010s, this is aromatically reserved to the point that only aggressive swirling liberates reluctant notes of spice, violets and a mix of perfumed red and black liqueur scents. The delicious, intense and beautifully detailed middle weight flavors possess a highly sophisticated mouth feel before terminating in a massively persistent, pure and harmonious finish. This seriously classy and exceptionally stylish effort is the epitome of power without weight, indeed it is textbook RSV. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 96 BHGood bright, full red. Aromas of crushed red berries, eucalyptus and blood orange, given even more punch by a suggestion of citrus peel. Pungent and penetrating in the mouth, with the crushed-grape character giving this very pure, focused wine an extremely primary quality today. With its rather powerful tannic spine, this is an infant. I would not be surprised if it needed 15 years to approach its plane of peak maturity.Vinous Media | 95+ VMThe 2010 Romanee Saint Vivant comes across as quite delicate, floral and feminine. Sweet red cherries, crushed flowers and mint wrap around the finish in this weightless, airy RSV. I have seen this wine grow significantly once it is in bottle, and expect that will be the case here as well. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040.Dujac fans will be thrilled with these 2010s. They are off the charts. The most difficult thing will no doubt be finding them. Jeremy Seysses reported yields down by 30-50% across the board, although his Morey blanc was down a whopping 90%. The poor flowering and wet summer resulted in loose bunches with a high amount of shot berries. The wines came in at 12 to 12.5% potential alcohol and were lightly chaptalized. Seysses used 80-90% stems for most of the wines, a little less for some, such as the Charmes and Combettes (around 70%) and more for the Chambertin and RSV (both 100%). Unfortunately, the 2010 Morey 1er Cru was too reduced to evaluate, so I will have to wait for another opportunity to taste the wine. I also tasted the entire range of 2009s. I will report on those wines in the April issue.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-96 RP

An intensely floral nose features notes of rose petals and lavender along with cool red berry fruit liberally laced with wet stone nuances. The taut and muscular broad-scaled and concentrated flavors are precise, intense and explosively long on the focused and stunningly persistent finish that is youthfully austere and breathtakingly intense. This faultlessly well-balanced but very firm effort will require extended cellaring and 15 to 20 years is probably what the structure will require to completely resolve.Burghound | 96 BHThe 2010 Clos de La Roche from Dujac is an infant, but it is also fabulous. All of the signatures are there; soaring aromatics, finely sculpted fruit and vibrant, pulsating tannins. What a privilege it is to drink the 2010 over several hours at dinner. An intensely perfumed, multi-dimensional Burgundy, the 2010 captures all of the potential I have seen in previous tastings. Ideally, the 2010 should be cellared for at least a handful of years, as it is built for a long life that will go out for several decades. Readers who own the 2010 should be thrilled.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2010 Clos de la Roche is a tad more reserved than any of the previous grand crus served in the range in the Dujac cellars, but every bit as transparent, sappy and seamless. The great nose offers up a classy mélange of red and black cherries, plums, cocoa, incipient notes of venison, lovely soil nuances, woodsmoke and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, very pure and nascently complex, with a rock solid core of fruit, ripe tannins, brilliant transparency and stunning grip on the very, very long and youthful finish. A great wine in the making. (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 95 JGThe 2010 Clos de la Roche wafts from the glass with sweet scents of tobacco, crushed flowers and spices. Tasted after the Charmes, the Clos de la Roche comes across as decidedly feminine, but there is plenty of weightless energy being held back, at least that is the sense I get today. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RP

The 2010 Barolo Cannubi is dense and compact at this stage, but then the sweet Cannubi tannins kick in. Sweet red berries, crushed flowers, mint and sweet spices wrap around the palate in a generous, textured wine endowed with tons of depth and class. This is a fairly powerful rendering of Cannubi. It will be interesting to see if the wine acquires finesse in bottle, or if it will always be a bit of a brute.Vinous Media | 94 VMRose, tilled earth, and smoky mineral aromas emerge from this luminous, elegant Barolo. The bright palate doles out crushed red cherry and black raspberry accented with herbs, white pepper and clove. The juicy flavors are balanced by vibrant energy and polished tannins. Drink 2018-2038. Kerin O’Keefe | 94 KOIt reveals aromas of rose, tilled earth, and smoky mineral. The bright palate doles out crushed red cherry and black raspberry accented with herbs, white pepper and clove. Juicy flavors are balanced by vibrant energy and polished tannins. Drink 2018–2038. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEWith fruit from the Barolo township, the 2010 Barolo Vigneto Cannubi offers a classic portrait of the Nebbiolo grape with bright berry notes backed by savory tones of balsam herb, dried sage and mint. There-s a distant touch of exotic spice as well, maybe cumin or curry, that adds a somewhat unexpected extra layer of complexity to the wine-s already busy personality. Its overall elegance is already evident at this young stage in its evolution. Drink: 2016-2028.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPPure and fruity on the nose with sliced-strawberry and floral character. Full to medium body with pretty fruit, firm tannins and a fresh acidity. Lots of tar at the finish. Better in 2016.James Suckling | 91 JS

The 2010 Barolo Tre Tine from Giuseppe Rinaldi is stunning whatever way you look at it. This is everything you could wish for in a Barolo. It offers a cornucopia of aromas: an alluring mixture of red and black fruit, cedar, liquorice and a very subtle medicinal scent, all delivered with ethereal delineation. The palate is perfectly balanced, the tannins having melted a touch to render it perfectly drinkable, even if it constantly reminds you that it will continue to improve with bottle age. It is a long-term Barolo that is destined to give immense pleasure.Vinous Media | 97 VMMade with Nebbiolo from three top vineyard areas, this stunning wine boasts classic Barolo scents of rose, violet, red berry, leather and tilled soil. The vibrant palate delivers crushed black cherry and red raspberry accented with wild mint, white pepper, clove and sage. It has great energy, intensity and aging potential. Drink 2018-2040. Kerin O’Keefe | 95 KOMade with Nebbiolo from three top vineyard areas, it boasts scents of rose, violet, red berry, leather and tilled soil. The vibrant palate delivers crushed black cherry and red raspberry accented with wild mint, white pepper, clove and sage. It has great energy, intensity and aging potential. Drink 2018–2040.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEJuicy cherry, raspberry and currant flavors are accented by flowers, tea and tobacco in this elegant, intense red. Long and harmonious, with a lingering aftertaste of fruit, spice and mineral. Best from 2017 through 2032. 550 cases made, 240 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

As for the 2010 Haut-Brion, it does not have the power of Latour’s 2010 or the intense lead pencil shavings and chocolaty component of Lafite-Rothschild, but it is extraordinary, perfect wine. It has a slightly lower pH than the 2009 (3.7 versus the 2009’s 3.8), and even higher alcohol than the 2009 (14.6%). The wine is ethereal. From its dense purple color to its incredibly subtle but striking aromatics that build incrementally, offering up a spectacular smorgasbord of aromas ranging from charcoal and camphor to black currant and blueberry liqueur and spring flowers, this wine’s finesse, elegant yet noble power and authority come through in a compelling fashion. It is full-bodied, but that’s only apparent in the aftertaste, as the wine seems to float across the palate with remarkable sweetness, harmony, and the integration of all its component parts – alcohol, tannin, acidity, wood, etc. This prodigious Haut-Brion is hard to compare to another vintage, at least right now, but it should have 50 to 75 years of aging potential. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2065+.Kudos to the team at Haut-Brion and to the proprietors, the Dillon family, who are now represented admirably and meticulously by Prince Robert of Luxembourg. He has made some changes, and all of them seem to have resulted in dramatic improvements to what was already an astonishing group of wines.Robert Parker | 100 RPPure perfection and one of truly legendary wines out there, the 2010 is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc that hit a whopping 14.6% natural alcohol, with a healthy pH of 3.7. This deep rich, opulent beauty is just now at the early stages of its prime drink window and has an incredible array of blackcurrants, chocolate, truffly earth, graphite, and hints of tobacco. A massive wine in every sense, it still somehow stays weightless and graceful, with silky, building tannins, flawless balance, and just everything in the right place. It needs an hour or two in a decanter if drinking any time soon, and it’s going to have upwards of 75-100 years of ultimate longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDSappy, tongue-coating pastis, blackberry coulis and loganberry fruit starts this huge wine off, followed by a parade of licorice snap, violet, tar, black tea, roasted alder, wood spice and steeped black cherry fruit notes. A beam of pure cassis drives through this, and the finish pulls everything together with a mouthwatering brambly edge that should soften slowly over time. A riveting display of brawny power, unbridled energy and high-level [i]terroir[n]. Best from 2020 through 2040. 7,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 99 WSAnother different register as we head to Pessac-Léognan. And as with Mouton this has an exuberant grilled almond note around the edges with a thick velvety texture. You can really feel the weight and width of this wine through the mid palate and again you feel it just has so much life and pleasure ahead of it. This is all about the texture, it has an extremely marked sense of a rising tide of tannins and fruit, ready to power through the ages. Drinking Window 2025 - 2050Decanter | 98 DECA firm and serious wine, complex and complicated, one of the finest wines from 2010 vintage. It has a rich undertow of black fruits, while the tannins dominate at this stage. To add to the powerful range of flavors, the wine has an edge of severity that bodes well for its long-term future.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe 2010 Haut-Brion has a more flamboyant and showier bouquet than the La Mission with copious black fruit, orange blossom, fireside ash and chai tea aromas that are irresistible. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine and supple tannins, firm grip, quite saline in the mouth with strong truffle notes on the finish. Quite brilliant. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis is very spicy with dried mushroom aromas with dark fruits and plum undertones. Sweet tobacco as well. This is full-bodied, with lots of tannins that are chewy and firm. This is muscular for HB and flexing it. Try in 2020.James Suckling | 97 JS(Château Haut-Brion) The 2010 Haut-Brion is one of the lowest alcohol wine in the entire Dillon stable in this vintage, as it tips the scales at a mere 14.6 percent. The merlot was brought in here starting on the 8th of September and the cabernet sauvignon did not arrive in the cellars until the first week of October. Despite it being lower in alcohol than the 2010 La Mission, it seemed even a bit riper in style, with a distinct (and troubling) note of sur maturité evident on the backend of the finish. The bouquet is deep, complex, very ripe and very vivid (from the wine’s revved up acidity?), as it soars from the glass in a blaze of cassis, dark berries, Cuban cigars, coffee bean, lovely soil tones and plenty of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, broad-shouldered and rock solid at the core, with hard, tough tannins, coarse acids and a very long, chewy and discordant finish. Perhaps this was just an awkward time for the wine, but no one at the château seemed concerned in the least with how this wine was showing- in fact, quite the contrary- so maybe this oddly balanced showing is really how the wine is in 2010. After the very forcefully styled 2009 Haut-Brion, this power-monger 2010 is hardly reassuring for those of us that prize past vintages of Haut-Brion for its unabashed elegance and hauntingly profound expression of terroir. One has to hope that this wine will eventually pull itself together in the cellar, but it seems to be a profound departure from the past and one has to ask why this is the case. One would certainly expect that an estate of the stature and historical legacy of Haut-Brion would be above point chasing, but how does one reconcile the much more elegant renditions of the 2010 vintage at estates such as Domaine de Chevalier and Pape-Clément with these super-sized Dillon wines, if not assuming that the team here is now consciously aiming to produce much more powerful wines? I have to assume that this wine will eventually place itself at the higher end of this scale, but it was nonetheless rather a sad showing for an unabashed fan of traditional Haut Brion. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 83-93 JG

From the Howell Mountain Arc Vineyard (usually 1,300 to 1,400 cases produced in a normal year), the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Arc Vineyard could be a candidate for perfection when it hits full maturity in 7-8 years. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to drink it now given the sweetness of the tannin and the abundance of the ripe, concentrated, delicious fruit. The nose exhibits classic aromas of mulberries, graphite, licorice, forest floor, black currants and blackberries. This is a broad, full throttle, multilevel, sensational wine.Proprietor Jayson Woodbridge, one of the wine world’s most compelling, outspoken, irreverent, bigger-than-life personalities, can get away with just about anything he wants to say or do simply because year after year he proves what great wine is all about from his 15-acre Kayli Morgan Vineyard east of St. Helena, his 15-acre parcel on Howell Mountain, and another vineyard on the upslope of the Eisele Vineyard (recently acquired by Chateau Latour in Pauillac), called Few and Far Between. Woodbridge was recently profiled in a wonderful graphic wine magazine called “Loam Baby,” and may have set a Guiness Book World record for the number of times the word “F***” was used in that interview. I first met Woodbridge, who hales from Canada, when he released his first vintage, 2000, which is still going strong and showing more staying power than I would ever have imagined even though I loved the wine from the beginning. It remains a sensational wine at age 13. He currently has six cuvees of Cabernet Sauvignon, the Kayli Morgan Vineyard, the Arc Vineyard on Howell Mountain, the Few and Far Between Vineyard in Calistoga near the Eisele Vineyard, a wine called Deep Time which spends considerably more time in barrel than its siblings, a wine called Precious, and depending on his mood, another wine called Fortunate Son. He also makes a hedonistic, attractive Pinot Noir from the Stanly Vineyard called Cherry Pie, and he has had enormous success with the high quality yet bargain-basement priced selections from around the world called Layer Cake. The Few and Far Between Vineyard is a 5-acre parcel on what Woodbridge calls the “upside of the Eisele Vineyard.” The only blend in his portfolio, this cuvee includes 15% Cabernet Franc. The first vintage was 2008, and this is another exceptional wine, with the 2010 achieving perfection and the 2012 capable of doing so. I only tasted two vintages of the Precious cuvee made from Woodbridge’s favorite barrels. Normally he limits production to 100 or so cases, which would be four barrels. I only tasted one vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time because it spends up to 40 months in barrel and almost becomes like a great chef’s reduction sauce because of evaporation. It is normally a selection from the Kayli Morgan Vineyard. It is a remarkable wine, but very little is available.Robert Parker | 98+ RP(15.5% alcohol): Good dark red. Pure sex appeal on the nose, with black raspberry, licorice, menthol and mineral aromas buoyed by a violet quality. Like liquid velvet on the palate; a great, sweet fruit bomb with a positively three-dimensional texture. Dark berry flavors are complicated by a saline element and lifted by sneaky underlying minerality. The finish is lightly saline and endless, with ripe tannins totally buffered by the wine's voluptuous texture. My sample gained in firmness with 48 hours in the recorked bottle without losing any of its verve, a very good sign for its likely aging curve.Vinous Media | 95+ VMPure, ripe and plush, with tiers of blackberry, raspberry, cherry, plum, mocha and spice. Shows some heat from ripeness, causing the finish to becomes a bit diffuse. Needs a little time. Drink now through 2024. 700 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS