2010 Joanin Becot

(a 75/25 blend of merlot and cabernet franc): Bright dark red. Musky aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, menthol, flowers and spicy oak. Rather suave and fine-grained, with red fruit, coffee and mocha flavors complicated by sweet oak and underbrushy soil tones. Finishes with a positive herbal element, good ripe acidity and substantial lush, building tannins.

Always one of the better wines from his surprisingly value-laden appellation, the Joanin-Becot’s 2010 Cotes de Castillon (tipping the scales at 14.5% natural alcohol) has supple, sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit with hints of licorice, underbrush and subtle smoky oak. This round, generous wine, made from 32 hectoliters per hectare, is a final blend of about three-fourths Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. It can be drunk now or cellared for up to 7-8 years.