2010 Château Faugères

(15% alcohol): Full, bright medium ruby. Superripe aromas of dark fruits, mocha, truffle and chocolatey oak. Full, broad and concentrated; quite plush but good energy keeps if from coming off as heavy. Sexy flavors of black raspberry, toffee and mocha are layered and deep. Finishes with serious but sweet and thoroughly ripe tannins that saturate the cheeks. This has much more stuffing and spine to support aging than the regular Faugeres bottling: in fact, I'd give it five years in the cellar to absorb some of its oak and shed some baby fat.

The estate’s most abundant cuvee of about 5,000+ cases is the 2010 Faugeres, a blend of 85% Merlot with the rest mostly Cabernet Franc and just a small quantity of Cabernet Sauvignon, all bottled unfined and unfiltered. It is another St.-Emilion hitting 15% natural alcohol. Tiny yields of 22 hectoliters per hectare and a late harvest that went into the third week of October have resulted in a stunningly concentrated wine with notes of crushed rock, blue and dark red/black fruits, some camphor, incense and, for lack of a better description, a smell of acacia flowers. A sexy, opulent and full-bodied wine that seems to have more in common with the 2009s than most 2010s, this wine can be drunk out of the gate, but will certainly hit its stride in 3-4 years and last for up to 15. Acquired by Swiss native Silvio Denz a number of years ago, this property continues to overachieve in virtually every vintage. Behind the scenes, Stephan von Neipperg, the proprietor of La Mondotte, Clos de l’Oratoire, and a number of other properties, consults on viticultural matters, while harvesting, winemaking and elevage are guided by Michel Rolland.

Fragile, racy nose, with good fruit concentration than almost masks the tannin. Well done! Good balance. Sleek and modern style but without exaggerations. Not that concentrated but harmonious. (JR)