2010 Bellefont Belcier

The wine offers up notes of jammy black cherries, black currants, licorice, camphor, underbrush and some subtle vanillin. The wine is full-bodied, voluptuously textured and rich, with good acidity, surprising freshness and laser-like definition given its ampleness and length. It can be drunk early on for its beautiful fruit, but look for this wine to hit its stride in 5-7 years and last for two decades. The 2010 is a very strong effort from this 33-acre vineyard, which is located primarily on the south-facing hillside of the Cote Pavie, with current super-achiever Larcis Ducasse nearby. From vines cropped at 14 hectoliters per hectare, the wine’s final blend is 73% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, but the alcohol hit 15.5%, making it one of the highest official levels in all of Bordeaux. No doubt their southerly exposure rather than late harvest accounted for such ripeness.

Dark purple. Hint of soap and greenness on the nose. Sweet and polished and just a little bit tarted up. Thick and smooth, then tart on the finish. Tastes a little bit manipulated. Very sweet and confected. Even a bit of cocoa, then very chewy and dry on the end. Drying finish. (JR)

This is a stylish wine made with a light touch. It is refreshing and lively with layers of wonderful flavours. The tannins carry the flavours through to the finish and the finish is fairly long. This is a gorgeous wine that will be even better in 5 to 8 years time. asianpalate.com