4 | Wine | Medoc, 86 to 90

"A beautiful sleeper of the vintage, this is possibly the best wine I-ve ever tasted from this over-achieving estate near St.-Christoly-de-Medoc. A blend of 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot, this wine normally sells for about $15 a bottle, making it an absolutely staggering value in the worldwide marketplace. The 2010 exhibits classic cedar wood, tobacco leaf, creme de cassis, licorice and some balsam wood notes in a strong, medium to full-bodied, layered style with good opulence, purity and overall harmony. A real beauty, it should be drunk over the next 4-5 years." -Robert Parker

"A big-time sleeper of the vintage, this inky purple wine has a beautiful nose of creme de cassis, incense and acacia flowers. Some subtle barbecue smoke is also present in this full-bodied wine, which is the best of all the Jean Guyon estates in 2009. For the statisticians out there, it is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. Drink it over the next decade."
-Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 90 pts.

"Offers a solid core of mineral, berry and light vanilla aromas and flavors. Full and racy, with a long finish. Well done."

"One of the cru bourgeois estates in the empire of Bernard Magrez, this may possibly be the best wine Les Grands Chenes has yet made. From old vines (average age 45) in the very northern part of the Medoc, the final blend of 51% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc hit 14% natural alcohol. The wine displays loads of espresso roast, black chocolate, creme de cassis, forest floor and tobacco leaf in a full-bodied, opulent, and flamboyant style. Dense, rich and deep in fruit, it exhibits the plush, silky tannins that are a signature of Michel Rolland, the overall consultant for all of the Magrez estates. Drink it over the next 7-8 years."-Robert Parker

"Very solid, with fresh red currant, plum and raspberry fruit stitched with lively iron and floral notes. A nice pebbly flash on the finish adds a mouthwatering hint."

"This vineyard just outside Pauillac has produced a seductive, sexy wine with an elegant combination of black cherry and black currant fruit. Some dusty, loamy soil notes also make an appearance as well as some high-quality unsmoked cigar tobacco."-Robert Parker

"Consistently better than its humble appellation, this excellent wine from proprietor Jean Guyon offers up plenty of black currant fruit intermixed with cedar wood, licorice and incense in a medium to full-bodied, surprisingly concentrated and expansive style that should drink nicely for a minimum of a decade or more. There’s no need for patience with this sleeper of the vintage, given the sweetness of its tannins, attractive glycerin and fruit levels."