2010 Clos de Sarpe

This is a quintessential blockbuster, no-compromise, massive, pedal-to-the-metal, balls-to-the-walls sort of wine with incredibly dense creme de cassis, kirsch, licorice, truffle and some background oak. Always one of the most concentrated and backward wines of the vintage, the 2010 is a prime example. I was interested to learn that the final blend and selection only produced about 625 cases of grand vin. Forget it for 10-15 years and drink it over the following century. (Oh, that's right - most of us won't be alive to challenge that estimate!)||I have always loved to taste this wine, because it comes from a tiny, nearly 12-acre property owned by Jean-Guy Beyney, who, I have said, before tends to go overboard making wines that probably have more in common with the great vintages of the late 1800's than anything produced today. How long will these wines last? Certainly the great vintages are 50+ year wines. Beyney's absurdly low yields in 2010 (15 hectoliters per hectare) have fashioned a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc that hits all the sweet spots on the palate. Wine Advocate.February, 2013