April 20, 2024 - Blackberry, blueberry, gravel, leather; smooth, long, balanced, fairly elegant, showing some development, not especially complex but classic and very good
December 9, 2023 - Very good. Ready to drink. Balanced alcohol. Integrated oak. Black fruit and jam.
March 31, 2023 - Smooth with a lingering finish. Bouquets of faint leather and tobacco with velvety opulence. It was as good as 2009 vintage and will improve in the next few years. The
March 13, 2022 - Somewhat disjointed. Tannins slightly underripe, and slightly sappy. Lots of plush black fruit and well integrated oak spice
Pleasant but not worthy of price
January 23, 2022 - First bottle from a full case purchased en primeur in 2012. A blend of 60% Cabernet-Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, harvested between 29 September and 19 October, 13.5% ABV. Jacques Boissenot consulted. Energetic, fresh, youthful, crunchy fruit, firm structure but with a modicum of feminine Margaux elegance, toasty but well integrated oak, finely grained but still grippy tannins, good resonance and length. Early maturity, needs 3-5 years to loosen its tannic grip. The flawless balance ensures a good career, how much complexity it will develop, remains to be seen. It is still not easy to read, but it may surprise us. Score assumes positive development. Revisit 2025, drink until 2040+.
January 2, 2022 - Nose of very ripe blue, black fruit with nice hints of mint, tobacco and damp earth. But the mouth doesn't deliver, dull cooked blue, black fruit, stewed tomato and stale tobacco, leading to an almost empty middle and a slightly bitter, muddy and dull finish. Medium body, low acid, ripe intergraded tannin.
OKish, if dull, wine, that is a little past it's prime. Very disappointed and a terrible value.
December 14, 2021 - Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of deep ruby colour, with fading rim and legs.
Nose: Clean, with medium aromas of black fruit of cassis and dark cherries, kernel notes of coffee, oak notes of cedar, animal notes of leather, pungent spice of liquorice, sweet spice of clove, maturity notes of forest floor. The wine is developing.
Palate: Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, medium in alcohol with medium (+) body, with medium concentration of flavours, exhibiting black fruit of blackberry and ripe cherries, oak notes of toast, kernel notes of chocolate, sweet spice of clove. The wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion: Good quality Margaux with a reasonably intense nose showing good complexity, with plenty of black fruit and good leathery notes, supplemented with liquorice and sweet spice, with some coffee and cedar aromas wrapping up the development characters of damp earth. On the palate it is well-structured, good in balance with robust tannin of velvety texture, fair concentration of flavours and decent length on the finish. It is ready to drink now but can further develop for another 4-6 years.
November 5, 2021 - Robe bourgogne foncée. Beau nez, décanté 1h. Vin sec sur les fruits noirs et les feuilles d’automne. Vin d’entrée de gamme pour un Margaux. Manque légèrement de profondeur.
September 18, 2021 - A subtle nose of blackcurrant, savoury grilled tomatoes, river stones and earthy spices. Palate is dry and chalky with tobacco, blue fruits and spices. Lacking some density and depth. Quite surprising for a 2010 vintage. Transition from entry to finish is uneven. Finish is austere, rough and over extracted. Disappointing for the vintage.
September 13, 2021 - More structure than I'd have expected from a typical Margaux, good backbone of tannins and acidity, a little less lush and fruity than what one would expect from Margaux, and very green (which I enjoy). Tastes like a watered-down Pauillac (again, not a bad thing), with cigarbox etc.