2010 Blackbird Illustration
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Full, bright ruby. Blackberry, bitter chocolate, violet and licorice on the nose, plus hints of menthol and tobacco leaf; very Right Bank! Enters the mouth plush, dense and rich, and very ripe, with an almost liqueur-like quality to its dark fruit and floral flavors. Not tight--in fact, this wine boasts terrific sweetness and the sex appeal of a Pomerol--but has the sheer stuffing to go on for at least another decade. Finishes with substantial ripe tooth-dusting tannins and surprising juiciness. Yummy!
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2010 Proprietary Red Illustration is composed of 48% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon. Its color is similar to the Arise, perhaps slightly more opaque, and the nose offers plenty of sweet cassis, blueberry, camphor and floral notes. Fleshy and pure as well as loaded with fruit and character, this is another beautifully balanced, seamless effort that should drink beautifully for 10-15 years – if you can resist it for that long. 2011 was, of course, a much more challenging vintage, and these cuvees have slightly lower alcohols than in 2010. Tel. (707) 252-4444
(48% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 22% cabernet sauvignon; the pH here is 4.03): Bright ruby-red. Musky black raspberry, mocha, chocolate, graphite, sweet butter and loam. Lush on entry, then a wave of black cherry, black raspberry and truffle washes over the palate and echoes on the long finish. Wonderfully sweet, broad, pliant wine with ripe, fine-grained tannins and great balance for early drinking; but this Pomerol lookalike has the stuffing for least mid-term aging. Very seductive wine.