1 | Wine | New Arrivals, Red Bordeaux Blend, 95 or higher

"The 2010 Bettina is drop dead gorgeous. Mint, cloves, flowers, menthol and licorice are some of the many notes that burst from the glass. The 2010 is all about nuance, delineation and precision. There is a vibrancy to the 2010 that is simply striking. Dark blue and black fruit, balsamic notes, crushed rocks and pencil shavings are all layered into the powerful, mineral-infused finish. This is a stellar showing from Bryant."

"One of the superstars of the vintage, it boasts an inky/purple color as well as abundant notes of blueberry liqueur, graphite, truffles, acacia flowers and subtle toast. Full-bodied, opulent and already easy to drink, this large-scaled wine possesses high levels of tannin, but they are relatively well-concealed by the extravagant fruit, glycerin, texture and density of this compelling Troplong Mondot. This impressive wine may shut down after bottling and require 4-5 years of cellaring. It has the potential to last at least 15-20 years. Bravo!" -Robert Parker

"The intensely ripe Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the plateau at Mouton has produced an inky/purple-colored wine with the famous Mouton creme de cassis and floral characteristics vividly displayed. For the first time in a number of years they appear to have outdistanced their cross street rival, the biodynamically farmed Chateau Pontet Canet of Alfred Tesseron. Wonderfully sweet tannins envelop the enormous fruit and extravagant richness of this full-bodied Mouton Rothschild. With profound density as well as surprisingly sweet tannin, this terrific effort will probably shut down slightly and require 5-8 years of cellaring after bottling. It appears to have 30 or more years of aging potential, making it potentially one of the 3 or 4 longest-lived wines of the vintage."-Robert Parker

"Delightfully fresh and pure, with beautifully expressive aromas of blueberry, raspberry, plum and boysenberry fruit. This tames the grippy, taut side of the vintage, delivering sleek, silky tannins and a long, spice-infused finish. Offers lovely length and precision."

"Plush for the vintage, with a lovely, caressing feel and lots of steeped plum, anise and blackberry fruit. Displays a lacing of tar through the finish, revealing a graceful tug of earth."
Reviewed by: Wine Spectator, 93 to 96 pts

"One of the stars of the vintage, it is a complete, medium to full-bodied, soft, round, atypically accessible effort displaying lots of minerality along with red and black fruits, exceptional fragrance and purity, a fleshy mid-palate and a long finish. A remarkable fact in both these wines is that the alcohol levels in 2012 hit 14.8%, which nearly equals the record levels achieved in 2010 – that’s astonishing! This 2012 should drink well 3-4 years after bottling, and last for 20-25 years." -Robert Parker

"It offers an opaque dense purple color along with attractive blackberry, licorice, truffle and cassis fruit notes. It is full-bodied and dense with an authoritative mid-palate, sweet tannin and a layered mouthfeel that builds incrementally into a stunningly long finish. Precocious and charming already, it will drink better at an earlier age than the massive, prodigious 2009. Drink this killer St.-Emilion over the next 15+ years." -Robert Parker

"A mix of dark plum, blackberry and fig fruit rumbles along here, with a charcoal note cutting a broad swath. Solid, if a bit blunt in the end, as bittersweet cocoa clamps own on the finish. Went for obvious extraction, and now we have to wait and see if this stretches out in time or stays landlocked by the square tannins."
-Reviewed by: Wine Spectator - 89 to 92 pts

"It boasts an inky/blue/purple color as well as gorgeous aromas of black and blue fruits, spring flowers, and hints of background toast and forest floor. Well-integrated wood and acidity as well as moderately ripe tannins make for a medium to full-bodied, expansive, flavorful, rich, well-delineated effort. It will need 3-5 years of bottle age and should drink well for two decades thereafter."-Robert Parker

"Features a core of dark anise, fruitcake, plum sauce and raspberry, with a fleshy texture that hangs through the finish. Has guts without the vintage’s chewy, taut feel."
Reviewed by: Wine Spectator, 90 to 93 pts

"This full-bodied beauty exhibits a dense opaque purple color in addition to copious notes of creme de cassis, kirsch, licorice and incense. It should drink well for 15-20 years. This will be a sleeper of the vintage." -Robert Parker

"A spectacular wine from this nearly 50-acre vineyard situated atop St.-Emilion’s famed limestone plateau, the final blend for the 2012 Beau-Sejour Becot was 70% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. It achieved 14% natural alcohol and yields were 31 hectoliters per hectare. One of the stars of the vintage, it is elegant yet powerful, rich and authoritative with abundant black raspberry, blueberry, graphite and toasty vanillin notes. Full-bodied and super rich for a 2012, it is packed with potential. The tannins are ripe as well as abundant suggesting several years of bottle age will be required. It should turn out to be a 20 year proposition." -Robert Parker

"Lots of tobacco leaf, forest floor, underbrush and red as well as black fruit aromas jump from this aromatic, seductive, open-knit La Mission. Medium to full-bodied, round, generous, lush and flattering to taste, even at this young age, it is built along the stylistic lines of the 2001 or 1999. Drink it over the next 15-20 years."
Reviewed by: Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate - 91 to 94 pts

Features pure, racy, floral cassis, violet and bergamot notes, with a long, mineral-tinged finish. Very expressive, this represents a noticeable step up from the second wine in this vintage.