Perhaps much of the appeal of this mostly Merlot-Cab blend should be chalked up to the glorious 2010 vintage, but this is quintessentially Bordeaux. It's beautifully fragrant, with an inviting nose of raspberry, plum, red licorice, and graphite, a lovely combination of fruit and minerals accented by vanilla, earth, and (just enough) oak. The problem is that the taste is somewhat hollow, with acidity muting the richness of the fruit, the aromatic complexity lost. There's likely enough stuffing here for longer-term aging, and it needs time to open up regardless, but it's certainly got potential.

A ripe but balanced left bank Bordeaux with noted but well integrated ok. Plummy red fruit, and hints of coffee and cedar. Tannin is pleasantly firm and the finish is good. Not the depth or complexity if classified growths but this is an authentic Bordeaux and a decent value consider its origin. Drinking nicely now, should keep another couple of years. Tasted April 2015.