2009 Le Desir

Bright dark ruby. Distinctly wild aromas of blackberry, minerals, game and leather, plus a whiff of Band-Aid. Dense, powerful, Cabernet Franc-dominated wine with vibrant, downright penetrating black fruit and licorice flavors. Fairly thick but still tight in the middle palate, with flavors similar to the aromas. Finishes with slightly edgy, building tannins that saturate the front teeth and incisors. Twenty-four hours in the recorked bottle brought a somewhat plusher texture and more breadth, but the leathery quality still impinged on the wine's fruit, limiting its complexity. While the wine's superb density of grain is undeniable, there's ultimately a bit too much Old World funk for me. I tasted two similar bottles. (14.5% alcohol)

The 2009 Le Desir is mostly Cabernet Franc and is another wine drinking beautifully today. Classic cassis and dark fruits as well as notes of bay leaf, sandalwood, and spice all flow to a full-bodied, elegant, concentrated red that has fine tannins, perfect balance, and one great finish. Drink it over the coming 20-25 years.

(Pierre Seillan's St. Emilion blend, based on 74% cabernet franc): Deep ruby-red. Vibrant nose offers cassis, blackberry, licorice, minerals, tobacco leaf and violet. Rich, tactile and deep, offering outstanding energy for the vintage. Boasts a rare combination of explosive fruit intensity and elegance. Builds and echoes dramatically on the vibrant, nuanced finish, which saturates the palate with dark fruits and minerals. This shut down in the glass but my recorked bottle showed uncanny freshness after three days in the refrigerator.