Vinous - Neal Martin (92)

The 2010 Echo de Lynch Bages has a very attractive bouquet, a mélange of red and black fruit tinged with damp loam and undergrowth aromas, all well defined and adding welcome floral scents with continued aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins. Hints of graphite and bell pepper infuse the ample black fruit. There is superb weight and body towards the finish. A classic Claret from start to finish, this is a great wine in the making. I was shocked and pleased when the identity of this wine was revealed (incidentally one that I had not encountered previously.). Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

Wine Spectator (96)

Pure floral, cherry and spice aromas and flavors highlight this aromatic, lush and silky red. Finishes on the taut side, but with intensity and a vibrant structure. Shows fine length, with soft tannins and a savory mineral aftertaste. Best from 2014 through 2029.

Vinous (88)

(the only one of these 2010s that was in bottle by the time of my tasting): Good bright red. Deep aromas and flavors of black cherry, raspberry, menthol and licorice. Richer and larger-scaled than the Framboisiere, showing more depth and structure. Finishes with good length. This vineyard is actually located beneath Framboisiere but its soil is redder and richer in clay content.

Steeped in refinement, Ferran 2010 is a perfect addition for any wine enthusiast's cellar. This magnificently structured Bordeaux blend hails from Pessac-Léognan, a prestigious appellation renowned for exquisite reds. The blend is cultivated from 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc grapes, a harmonious fusion embodying immense depth and character.

Ferran 2010 undergoes conventional vinification, with exemplary precision and rigour at the heart of the process. Aged in French oak barrels for 15 months, this maturation imparts rich, velvety undertones that tantalisingly intertwine with vibrant red fruit and subtle spice.

Under the judicious custodianship of revered winemaker Guillaume Pouthier, Ferran 2010 captures the quintessence of balanced French winemaking. It masterfully encapsulates the characteristic harmony between time-honoured traditional techniques and innovative modern approaches. This fine vintage delights the palate with profound layers of complex flavours, a true testament to Pouthier's deft artistry and the fertile terroir of Pessac-Léognan.

Vinous - Neal Martin (98)

The 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 - Neal Martin (98)

The 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.

Wine Advocate (95)

Dense ruby/purple, it tips the scales at 15% natural alcohol and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Full-bodied in texture, it offers up loads of blueberry, blackberry and raspberry fruit intermixed with some cedar, vanilla and a touch of spring flowers. Impressively built, with good acidity and light tannin, this is a superb example of wine that reaches its prime in 3 or 4 years and lasts two decades. It’s right up there with their brilliant 2005.

Vinous (92)

Vivid red. Spicy raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by incense, lavender and pungent herbs. Pliant red fruit flavors are deepened by candied licorice and bitter chocolate, with bright acidity adding lift. The tightly focused, energetic, impressively persistent finish leaves tangy mineral and bitter cherry skin notes behind.

Vinous (92)

Vivid red. Spicy raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by incense, lavender and pungent herbs. Pliant red fruit flavors are deepened by candied licorice and bitter chocolate, with bright acidity adding lift. The tightly focused, energetic, impressively persistent finish leaves tangy mineral and bitter cherry skin notes behind.

Delight in the rich allure of the Francois Gaunoux Pommard Les Tavannes 2010, a mesmerising blend representing the hallmark of French winemaking prowess. This exceptional red wine hails from Pommard, France's lauded Burgundy region, acclaimed for producing pinot noir of unrivalled quality. The Gaunoux family, renowned winemakers for decades, have adeptly crafted this 2010 vintage, combining traditional viticulture and modern techniques. Handpicked, perfectly ripe grapes were gently pressed, and the wine matured in oak barrels, embodying complex character and depth.

Each sip unveils the wine's profound bouquet of dark cherries and fragrant spices, harmonising with a lingering finish of leather and oak. The Francois Gaunoux Pommard Les Tavannes 2010 is an ode to the earthy minerality and intense red fruit aromas that Burgundy pinot noir is famed for. A wine of elegant structure and compelling intensity, it is a splendid choice for patrons seeking the prestigious taste of French heritage.

Vinous - Neal Martin (91)

The 2010 Acte 2 is a step up from the debut on the nose, demonstrating more cohesion and harmony, raspberry and light blueberry scents and the oak better integrated than the Acte 1. There is a subtle mintiness that surfaces with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and well judged acidity. Notes of mulberry and peppermint, plenty of dark berry fruit with a fresh and cohesive finish, this completes a fine Acte that should give another decade of drinking pleasure. Excellent. Tasted at the Acte vertical in London.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2010 Ruchottes-Chambertin is pure silk on the palate. Freshly cut roses, raspberries, mint and crushed rocks are some of the nuances that take shape in the glass. In 2010, the Ruchottes is rich, yet weightless, in the way only Burgundy can be. All the elements are beautifully woven together in this totally gracious, striking wine. This parcel is over 60 years old. The Mugneret sisters aren't in favor of using the Vieilles Vignes designation for the wines, as that term has no formal definition. The old vines go into Ruchottes, the young vines into the 1er Cru.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

The 2010 Bonnes-Mares is explosive and totally exciting. A big, broad- shouldered frame supports a core of black fruit, mint, flowers and licorice in this powerful, massively structured wine. Here, too, it is the wine’s energy and focus that truly stand out most. The finish turns weightless and totally sublime. As usual, I tasted the Bonnes-Mares from its two main components, and then in the blend, and it was the blend that was most convincing of the three wines. The 2010 Bonnes-Mares is a wine built for a long rest in the cellar before it begins to approach the early part of what promises to be a long drinking window. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2050.

Burghound (92)

I have never been a huge fan of this wine as I often find it to be somewhat coarse, and while always very good, I am rarely moved by it. However, in 2010, as was the case in 2009, this is much better than it usually is with a relatively perfumed nose that includes notes of earth along with the natural sauvage character of the vineyard. In fact there is even a certain elegance to the attractively layered airy and cool red berry liqueur aromas. There is good richness and fine volume to the moderately robust and muscular flavors that culminate in a balanced and linear finish that evidences mild austerity. I quite like this as the tannins are finer than usual and there is a real sense of harmony and completeness.

Vinous (94+)

(from a yield of about 28 hectoliters per hectare, according to Ghislaine Barthod): Good bright, full red. Very closed yet delicate nose offers scents of black cherry, licorice, fresh herbs and minerals. Soil-driven, saline and sweet, with powerful minerality accentuating the wine's superb concentration. Wonderfully tactile yet light on its feet, this taut, vibrant wine saturates the entire mouth and stains the front teeth. As with Barthod's other 2010s, the tannins are extremely refined. Barthod notes that the 1999 version of this wine is still young, and she believes that this 2010 will take even longer to reach full maturity.

Vinous (94+)

(from a yield of about 28 hectoliters per hectare, according to Ghislaine Barthod): Good bright, full red. Very closed yet delicate nose offers scents of black cherry, licorice, fresh herbs and minerals. Soil-driven, saline and sweet, with powerful minerality accentuating the wine's superb concentration. Wonderfully tactile yet light on its feet, this taut, vibrant wine saturates the entire mouth and stains the front teeth. As with Barthod's other 2010s, the tannins are extremely refined. Barthod notes that the 1999 version of this wine is still young, and she believes that this 2010 will take even longer to reach full maturity.

Vinous (94+)

(from a yield of about 28 hectoliters per hectare, according to Ghislaine Barthod): Good bright, full red. Very closed yet delicate nose offers scents of black cherry, licorice, fresh herbs and minerals. Soil-driven, saline and sweet, with powerful minerality accentuating the wine's superb concentration. Wonderfully tactile yet light on its feet, this taut, vibrant wine saturates the entire mouth and stains the front teeth. As with Barthod's other 2010s, the tannins are extremely refined. Barthod notes that the 1999 version of this wine is still young, and she believes that this 2010 will take even longer to reach full maturity.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94)

The 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 - Neal Martin (97)

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.

Wine Advocate (99)

More closed than when I tasted it earlier this year, the 2010 Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis is an incredible effort that’s made from 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier. Coming from the estate’s top sites and aged 38 months in new oak, it has no problem standing beside the top three single-vineyard releases. Crème de cassis, vanilla bean, smoked meats and licorice all flow to a full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, structured Cote Rotie that needs another 5-6 years of bottle age, but will keep for 2-3 decades.

Wine Advocate (100)

A wine that's certainly not for those seeking instant gratification, the 2010 Cote Rotie la Landonne is a powerhouse Cote Rotie that offers up deep, masculine notes of crushed rocks, smoked meats, game, espresso and assorted dark cassis and currant-like fruit. Full-bodied, tight, structured and backward, with fabulous mid-palate density and length, it needs to be forgotten in the cellar for a decade, but will have 40-50 years of overall longevity.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

As with the 2009, the 2010 Côte Rôtie La Turque represents the pinnacle of red wine and, in this reviewer’s opinion, couldn’t be any better. A dense purple color is followed by a powerful, masculine wine that has textbook ripe blackberry and cassis fruits interwoven with gorgeous floral, gamey, bloody, and exotic aromas and flavors. It’s concentrated, full-bodied, and multi-dimensional on the palate, with sweet, polished tannins, and a massive finish. It’s just now at the early stages of its drink window and have another 30 years of prime drinking ahead!

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2010 Hermitage Ex Voto continues to top out on my scale. This extraordinary Hermitage has more minerality and delineation than the 2009, as well as overflowing aromas and flavors of creme de cassis, jammy blackberries, violets, graphite and wood smoke. Massively concentrated, full-bodied, decadent, layered and sexy, it needs short-term cellaring but should be just about immortal in the cellar.

Decanter (100)

As ever when tasting the two together, the striking thing is the difference in character rather than quality between 2009 and 2010. This is tighter, more structured in its concentration, more broad shouldered, but still intensely impressive and full of pleasure. Neither are ready to go yet, but this feels like it will last longer, and feels extremely Haut-Bailly in spirit, with an elegant but complex personality, and a grip that doesn't make a big deal of its power but refuses to give up. Blackberry, bilberry, black chocolate and pencil. Harvest September 22 to October 14.