2010 La Fleur Peyrabon

67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot from a 7 ha planting of 11-year-old vines in Pauillac planted on gravel soils. Merlot was harvested from late-Sept and the Cab in early-Oct, all by hand. Fermented at 25 – 26 °C with a total maceration time of 21 days depending on the variety. A regular programme of remontages and pigeages took place. Malo took place in barriques followed by 14 months barrel ageing with 50% new oak. Healthy crimson. Lovely ripe fruit and tannins. Should develop much more subtlety but actually you could already enjoy it and it is wonderfully bright-fruited and fresh. (JR)

Good deep red. Musky redcurrant, mocha and licorice on the nuanced but youthfully reticent nose. Suave and silky in the mouth, with good lift to the slightly gamey currant and leather flavors. A floral element and harmonious acidity contribute class. Finishes with fine-grained tannins and very good length. Should make a lovely drink over the next 10 to 15 years.

Opaque ruby/purple with notes of lead pencil shavings, cedar wood, black currants, forest floor and some oak, the wine performs like a classified growth. Full-bodied and rich, with striking purity, texture and a long 30-second finish, this wine should drink nicely for up to 15 or more years. A sensational Pauillac from this overachieving estate, La Fleur Peyrabon’s 2010 is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot with some Petit Verdot. A member of the Alliance des Cru Bourgeois du Medoc.