(a blend of 62% cabernet franc and 38% merlot; 3.7 pH) Good, deep ruby-red. Deep, brooding but lively aromas of raspberry, strawberry, violet, licorice and minerals, plus an element of chocolate mint. Bright and fresh on entry, then shows a steely, austere quality to the strawberry, raspberry, tar and iodine flavors. Distinctly less floral and forward than the 2009. Strongly mineral on the long, pure back end, with ultrasmooth tannins; in fact, I would say that Lafleur's are the finest, most polished tannins of all in 2010. This is destined to be very long-lived. Incidentally, Baptiste Guinaudeau couldn't recall if any previous vintage of Lafleur had such a high percentage cabernet franc. My early candidate for wine of the vintage, along with Latour.

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62% Cabernet Franc, first time they’ve had such a high proportion! 60% of the production. Deep crimson. Savoury and dense and very clarety. Very pure and natural. 'We did practically nothing, no extraction techniques needed.’ Really fine and racy and dry and minerally but not drying on the end. One of the future. Polished. Lip smacking. Dry finish but very rich in Pomerol way. Long. Real tension. A little lighter than Pétrus but lovely stuff, just a bit tarry on the finish. Very stimulating rather than a relaxing drink.

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As for the Lafleur itself, their 2010 is another fabulous wine from this extraordinary terroir. Composed of 62% Cabernet Franc and the rest Merlot (identical to what I saw early on), this wine is tightly knit and built for the long haul. Neither is it as exuberant nor as opulent as the 2009 was showing at a similar stage of its life. In stylistic terms, it is more along the lines of a more modern-day 2000 . Deep ruby/purple, with sweet black raspberry and black cherry fruit as well as hints of forest floor, licorice and crushed rock, this wine has superb texture and a full-bodied mouthfeel ' then the tannins kick in. This is a powerful, backward wine, and despite its elegance and precision, it needs at least a decade of cellaring. It is slightly more reserved and tannic than I remember it from barrel, but it is locked and loaded with potential. Forget it for a decade a drink it over the following 30-40 years.

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