(at 14.5%, this is lower in alcohol than the 2009 and 2008 bottlings): Deep ruby. Aromas of blackberry, dark chocolate and mint, plus a whiff of liqueur-like kirsch . Densely packed and superripe on entry, then quite dry and uncompromising in the middle, with palate-saturating intensity but little in the way of easy sweetness today. The broad, chocolatey finish features serious tannins. In a somewhat disjointed phase today.

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The 2010 Red Wine is even more impressive today than it was last year. A full-bodied, intense wine, the 2010 bursts from the glass with seemingly endless layers of fruit. Plums, camphor, violets, cloves and cassis are some of the nuances that take shape in the glass, but the 2010 is mostly a wine built on structure and overall textural polish. Veins of precise, cool minerality give the 2010 its breadth and sense of energy. Simply put, all the elements are in the right place. I can't wait to taste the 2010 from bottle, but there should be plenty of time, as the 2010 is an infant. The 2010 is the result of a cold, late harvest and a year with fewer hot days than 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026.

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