3 | Wine | Haut-medoc, $20 to $50, 750 ml

"This dense purple wine displays notes of charcoal, subtle toast and white chocolate as well as blueberry and blackberry liqueur intermixed with hints of graphite and licorice. Dense, full-bodied, unctuously textured, and quite long and thick, this concentrated, impressively endowed wine is silky-textured and already accessible. However, I suspect its best days are at least 5-7 years ahead of it. It should keep for a minimum of two decades."-Robert Parker

"Probably La Tour Carnet’s best since their 2001, the 2010 La Tour Carnet exhibits wonderful ripeness, a dense ruby/purple color, notes of licorice, camphor and some toast as well as lots of black currant and blueberry fruit. It is medium to full-bodied, with attractive sweetness of tannin, good acidity, excellent delineation to its component parts, and a full-bodied, impressively long finish. This wine may close down somewhat, given the moderate tannins, but it seems relatively accessible despite being a 2010." -Robert Parker

"Dense but fresh, with a saturated core of blackberry pâte de fruit, anise and plum sauce that races along with vibrant spice and graphite notes. The long finish shows cut and drive, with enough grip to cellar short term."

"Sports a rather overt toasted spice and fruitcake profile, with ripe blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry notes backed by more toast and anise on the finish. Shows harmony despite the overt style, but this is a touch shy on length and purity for outstanding."
-Wine Spectator - 89 pts

"In a somewhat tragic twist, this over-achieving cru bourgeois in Haut-Medoc has turned in its finest wine to date, an unfined cuvee made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 20% Petit Verdot, created by the late proprietor Vincent Mulliez, who died suddenly last year. Sadly, this was his best effort. Notes of blackberries, black currants, licorice and a hint of toasty oak jump from the glass of this medium to full-bodied, well-endowed, impressively pure and textured wine. It should drink nicely for up to a decade."-Robert Parker

"The finest La Bernadotte made to date, this 2009 is an undeniable sleeper of the vintage... It reveals a dense purple color along with a big, sweet kiss of black cherries, black currants, charcoal, and spice. With layers of fruit, decent acidity, freshness, and precision, and an opulent, fleshy, succulent style, it should drink easily for a decade or more."-Robert Parker

"Ferocious tannins are not unusual for Sociando Mallet, but I was surprised that in a vintage that produced exceptionally tannic, but ripe wines, the Sociando Mallet tannins were atypically austere. Nevertheless, the wine boasts huge concentration along with an inky/purple color, a full-bodied, powerful palate, and a long finish. Excellent purity, density, and minerality are present in this cuvee, and it is capable of lasting 30-40 years."-Robert Parker

"A delicious, complex effort, the fully mature 2000 Lanessan offers notes of cedarwood, plums, loamy soil, and damp earth, medium to full body, plenty of spice, and a classic Bordeaux personality." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Cantemerle tends to produce somewhat understated and restrained, but finesse-filled wines. The medium-bodied 2008 offers elegant notes of raspberries, red currants, crushed rocks and oak backed up by good concentration, sweet tannin and no hard edges."-Robert Parker