(15% alcohol; 3.35 pH) Opaque, almost impenetrable inky-purple. Perfumed nose of blackcurrant, blackberry syrup, allspice, balsamic reduction and sage. Then clean and fresh in the mouth, with superripe flavors of black fruits and mocha given clarity and cut by lively acidity. This pure, long wine finishes smooth but just a tad warm.

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The 2010 is a more structured, masculine and steely version of the utterly compelling 2009. Tasting like black raspberry confiture with subtle notes of graphite and crushed chalk along with enormous floral notes, the wine displays a slightly smoky character but a voluptuous attack, mid-palate and finish. Its is full-bodied and massively endowed, with every component perfectly etched in this extraordinary wine, which should be drinkable after 7-8 years of bottle age and last for a half-century or more. This is brilliant stuff. Composed of 73% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from yields of 21 hectoliters per hectare, the alcohol is the highest ever registered at Beausejour-Duffau, coming in at 15%, but remarkably, the pH is modest and the acids relatively elevated, giving the wine an astonishing freshness and precision that is hard to believe in view of its power, density and length.

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