1 | Wine | Page 294

"For our 2010 Dry Creek Valley Merlot, we co-crushed the Merlot grapes with Petite Sirah to achieve dark fruit flavors and enhance the overall tannic structure in the wine. The grapes were destemmed, but not crushed, before being cold soaked to extract vivid color and intense flavors. We fermented this wine at warm temperatures, reaching 90°F for a few hours, to create a darker, riper fruit profile. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged on fine lees to soften the mouthfeel. This Merlot was aged for seven months in a combination of French and American oak barrels to impart notes of chocolate and vanilla in the finished wine."

"Smoky and resinous, with caramel, roasted walnut and iodine flavors that go on and on. A hint of oxidation and burnt molasses on the finish."

"Notes of crushed rock, black currants and some forest floor notes emerge. Impressively built, medium to full-bodied, layered and stunningly concentrated, this is a sleeper vintage for Leoville Las Cases that should improve considerably, given how closed it was the day I tasted it." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"The 2009 Fombrauge has the potential to be the finest wine ever made at this property. Michel Rolland is the consulting oenologist in the vineyard, which sits in the southern sector of St.-Emilion known as St.-Christophe des Bardes. It was picked very late in 2009, and the result is a powerhouse wine with an inky blue/purple color and the smell of pen ink, acacia flowers, blueberries, black raspberries and cassis. The wine hit 15% natural alcohol, which gives it lots of glycerin as well as a full-bodied intensity, while the low yields of 27 hectoliters per hectare have provided a striking level of concentration and length. This is very serious wine from an estate that is on the upswing. It should benefit from 3-5 years of cellaring and keep for two decades." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Another incredibly successful sleeper of the vintage. ...the 2008 Lascombes confirms just how many top 2008s were produced. A dark plum/ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by a sexy, up-front perfume of forest floor, damp earth, blue and red fruits and a touch of spicy oak. Lush with low acidity and sweet tannin, it appears to be a bigger version of the stunning 2008 Malescot St.-Exupery. Drink it over the next 15 or more years – it is well-worth buying by the case." Reviewed by Robert Parker.