Rich and ripe, from the heatwave vintage. Merlot suffered in this year, those this Cotes de Franc seem to fare reasonably well. Oak seems more prevalent than prior tastes of this wine and, stylistically, this vintages is less "Bordeaux' and more "Parkerized" than past years. Not sure if this is intentional or a result of the hot year. Good but not great. Drink now. Tasted Nov 2011.