Winemaker Notes
Berries in the 2010 vintage were small and concentrated. Tannins are ripe and colors are dark and intense. This new vintage is ideally balanced in many respects.
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Merlot 35%
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This big, concentrated effort is currently closed, but it's already hinting at ripe black fruits, solid tannins and a long future. On the finish, acidity and a black currant note give the wine a final lift.
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Wine Spectator
Dark, grippy and very tarry, with lots of pebbly tannins driving underneath the layers of boysenberry, steeped fig and blackberry fruit. Ample baker's chocolate and dark tobacco fill in the remaining space. This will need a little cellaring to round into form, but remains a very solid, muscular version.
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James Suckling
Ripe dense nose with lots of plum and prunes. Blackberries and chocolate. Full and juicy on the palate with chewy tannins and bright ripe acidity. Nice complexity and texture with a good length showing lots of new wood that still needs to integrate. Pretty fruit.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.