2010 Lady May

(blended with 10% Petit Verdot): Full medium ruby. Black cherry, cassis, menthol, bitter chocolate, minerals and spices on the ripe nose. Smooth and seamless, showing lovely early sweetness to the dark berry, graphite and spice flavors. (But this wine is technically very dry, at 1.3 grams per liter residual sugar.) Shows a distinctly cool herbal element and moderate flesh but finishes with harmonious tannins and excellent length. Lay this one down for at least a few years.

The 2010 Lady May is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot and sees 100% new oak for 24 months. That wood seems to be deftly absorbed on the nose with precocious black cherry and black currant fruit tinged with cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with dusky dry tannins – a masculine Cabernet Sauvignon with a slightly dry finish. A little tough at the moment, but it should mature nicely. Drink 2014-2020. In previous reports for this publication I have appreciated and commended the wines from Glenelly Estate that was established by the indefatigable May-Eliane de Lencquesaing after she bid adieu to Chateau Pichon-Lalande. However I must confess that the most recent releases did not quite meet my expectations and I found it too easy to pick faults, especially within peer group tastings. Importer: Cape Classics, New York, NY; tel. (212) 686-1300