Vinous (96+)

(13.8% alcohol with a bit of chaptalization, according to winemaker Charles Van Canneyt): Deep, full red. Very recent but pure nose eventually reveals scents of musky wild red fruits and smoky, stony minerality; a real essence of Burgundy. Deep and thick on the palate; dense with extract and utterly smooth too but with explosive energy suggesting that this wine will repay long aging. Finishes with outstanding rising smoky persistence and powerful stony minerality. These 2010s, bottled in February of 2012, display extraordinary digestibility.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard is medium to deep garnet in color and delivers a beautiful nose of kirsch, red currants and blackberries complementing the fragrant core of cassis, tilled soil, red roses and black tea. The palate is full and firm with lovely vivacity and loads of mineral sparks, finishing long with expressive black truffles and sauteed herbs layers.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is a stunning creation from an iconic vintage. Sangiovese specifically requires the perfect growing conditions to show its magic, and this vintage delivers those special qualities in troves. You are aware of the deep inner power and integrity of the fruit, yet the wine opens softly on the bouquet with elegance and grace. This bottle shows stunning complexity with a bouquet that peels back to reveal dark cherry, spice, balsam herb and dried violets. The mouthfeel has yielded to a greater sense of inner softness and mellowness since I last tasted this gorgeous wine upon its commercial release.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is a stunning creation from an iconic vintage. Sangiovese specifically requires the perfect growing conditions to show its magic, and this vintage delivers those special qualities in troves. You are aware of the deep inner power and integrity of the fruit, yet the wine opens softly on the bouquet with elegance and grace. This bottle shows stunning complexity with a bouquet that peels back to reveal dark cherry, spice, balsam herb and dried violets. The mouthfeel has yielded to a greater sense of inner softness and mellowness since I last tasted this gorgeous wine upon its commercial release.

Wine Advocate (98)

What a treat! The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli stands out for the extreme purity of its fruit and the profound depth it shows across all the senses. This starts with the wine's appearance, which is bright, saturated, ruby-colored and luminous all at the same time. The aromas emerge from the glass with vertical intensity, imparting fresh notes of wild berry, licorice, balsam herb and dried rose hip. This highly successful vintage stands apart for the power and clarity of fruit it puts so generously on display. If you are lucky enough to own a bottle, I'd store it at the back of your cellar for many more years to come.

Vinous (98+)

Deep, dark, saturated red. Knockout nose combines black cherry, black raspberry, minerals, graphite and licorice. Like liquid silk in the mouth, conveying great thickness of texture without any weight. Noble, utterly vibrant wine with near-perfect balance and a finish that mounts for two minutes or more. A sappy essence of Burgundy. Mugnier calls 2010 Burgundy at its best, and this wine makes his case.

Wine Advocate (96)

Demonstrative and charming, Selosse's 2010 Extra-Brut Millésime will be a great vintage to drink while patient readers are waiting on the 2010. Bursting from the glass with botrytis-inflected aromas of tangerine, crisp yellow orchard fruit, citrus blossom, clear honey and toasted nuts, it's full-bodied, satiny and pillowy, with an open, expressive profile that lends it real immediacy. Guillaume Selosse explains that to produce the Millésime, he doesn't select the "best" barrels from each of the lieux-dits, but rather those with a more pronounced personality. The 2010 likely won't be the most long-lived vintage of this bottling, but it will deliver enormous pleasure over the next decade.

Wine Advocate (96)

Demonstrative and charming, Selosse's 2010 Extra-Brut Millésime will be a great vintage to drink while patient readers are waiting on the 2010. Bursting from the glass with botrytis-inflected aromas of tangerine, crisp yellow orchard fruit, citrus blossom, clear honey and toasted nuts, it's full-bodied, satiny and pillowy, with an open, expressive profile that lends it real immediacy. Guillaume Selosse explains that to produce the Millésime, he doesn't select the "best" barrels from each of the lieux-dits, but rather those with a more pronounced personality. The 2010 likely won't be the most long-lived vintage of this bottling, but it will deliver enormous pleasure over the next decade.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (91-94)

Good medium red. Wild red fruits, cinnamon, cocoa and flowers on the nose. Less silky than the wines from Chambolle but dense, sappy and energetic, and quite fine and perfumed in the mid-palate for Nuits Saint Georges. Very firmly structured wine with serious building tannins that currently cut off the fruit. This should develop gracefully. Mugnier made an approximation of the final blend by combining samples from each lot, noting that there will probably not be a Clos des Fourches in 2010 as the quality of the grapes was consistently high.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2010 Nuits St. Georges Aux Boudots comes across as weighty and substantial, especially after the Roncières. Black cherries, plums, graphite, menthol, flowers and deep, exotic spices meld together impressively in this totally striking wine. The Boudots boasts tremendous textural depth and intensity all the way through to the round, sensual finish. At times it comes across as very Vosne-like, hardly a surprise given that Boudots lies next to Malconsorts.

Vinous (89-91)

Good deep red. Liqueur-like raspberry, black cherry, mocha and cocoa on the very ripe nose. Powerful but a bit rustic following the Nuits Boudots, with a dominant flavor of black cherry cough syrup. I find this harder to taste today. Plenty ripe, but the oak-driven tannins currently overshadow the wine's finishing fruit.

Burghound (95)

This is also notably floral in character with a panoply of spice elements that add both depth and breadth to the cool cherry, raspberry and red currant aromas. As was the case with the Beaux Monts there is a spicy inner mouth perfume to the delicious and classy middle weight flavors that are shaped by sophisticated and very fine tannins, all wrapped in a mouth coating, focused and seriously persistent finish. A classic RSV.

Wine Advocate (100)

Pure perfection, the 2010 Hermitage reminds Jean-Louis Chave of their 1990. It appears to be a richer, fresher example of what I remember the 1990 tasting like in 1992. The wine exhibits an opaque purple color along with an extraordinary bouquet of sweet blackberry fruit intermixed with creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, acacia flowers, bouquet garni, meat and crushed rocks. Full-bodied and stunningly rich with laser-like precision, this is a powerful, massive yet exceptionally well-balanced wine that should be forgotten for a decade and drunk over the following 30-40 years.

The Joguet Chinon Charmes 2010 is an exquisite representation of the celebrated Cabernet Franc grapes harvested from the renowned 'Charmes' vineyard in Chinon, France. This exquisite vintage produced by Charles Joguet, a champion of mono-parcel viticulture, showcases the exceptional terroir of the Loire Valley. An enticing blend of power and vivacity achieve balance in the age-worthy, 2010 vintage.

Red fruit aromas sit harmoniously alongside herbaceous notes, a characteristic hallmark of the Cabernet Franc variety. Vinification occurred in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve the individual varietal's character. After maturation in oak casks, the Joguet Chinon Charmes 2010 offers crisp acidity, structured tannins, and a compelling minerality.

Charles Joguet's philosophy of expressing the vineyard’s identity is reflected profoundly in this bottle. His minimalist intervention winemaking style ensures the Joguet Chinon Charmes 2010 captures the exquisite essence of its origin. You’ll discover an experience akin to a journey through the famed slopes of the Loire Valley with every sip.

The Joguet Chinon Clos du Chene Vert 2010 is a fine exemplar of the distinguished viticulture of the Loire Valley, crafted with expertise and passion by the esteemed Chinon wine artist, Charles Joguet. True to Chinon tradition, the wine is solely based on the noble Cabernet Franc grape, lovingly reared on limestone-clay soil in Joguet's organic vineyard, Clos du Chene Vert. This 2010 vintage, aged for 12 to 18 months in oak barrels, manifests a captivating blend of complexity and vibrancy characteristic of Joguet’s winemaking philosophy.

On the palate, the Joguet Chinon Clos du Chene Vert 2010 expresses a rare harmony of dark fruit, spice and polished tannins. Its rich and bold composition is capped by an elegantly nuanced mineral finish. Revel in the joy of sipping this exceptional wine as it continues to refine in your cellar for decades. Truly, each bottle of Joguet Chinon Clos du Chene Vert 2010 is an unparalleled testament to Chinon's magnificent terroir.

Wine Advocate (92)

Lemon, pineapple, and blackcurrant site-typically scent the Prum 2010 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese and are then projected onto a palate underlain with wet stone. A faintly smoky, prickly aura of reduction doesn’t preclude one relishing this wine’s effusive, delectable juiciness. Indeed, like the bit of CO2 Spritz that typically characterizes Prum Rieslings, it somehow enhances the wines appealingly invigorating nervous energy. Salt and stone seem to be thoroughly deposited in a tongue-quivering finish. Expect this to – again in estate-typical fashion – reward 20-30 years’ bottle maturation.

Vinous (96+)

The 2010 Insignia has totally closed down in bottle. Dark plums, graphite, pencil shavings, smoke and licorice all jump from the glass, but today the 2010 is in no mood to show all of its personality. Today the Petit Verdot seems especially pronounced. The tannins are sweet, layered and impeccably balanced, which makes me think the 2010 will enjoy a long drinking window once it softens. The 2010 is a beautiful, silky Insignia, but it needs time. The blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot and 2% Malbec.

Vinous (96)

Full, deep red. Sexy scents of black raspberry, licorice, violet and minerals, plus torrefaction notes of espresso and mocha. More tightly wound on the palate than the young 2012; less horizontal and broad at this stage but wonderfully thick, fine-grained, savory and precise, with its multidimensional flavors of dark fruits, spices, minerals and flowers given an added element of complexity by savory soil tones. Manages to be both velvety and light on its feet, and ultimately suppler than the '12. This exceptional young grand cru finishes with utterly mellow, perfect integrated tannins, explosive rising length and penetrating salty minerality. In short, a great expression of soil and a classic example of its vintage. (13.7% alcohol; 3.34 pH; 20 h/h)

An exquisite offering, the Jules Desjourneys Moulin A Vent Chassignol 2010 unveils the magnificent pedigree of Beaujolais. Crafted by the meticulous vigneron Fabien Duperray, this acclaimed wine reflects the distinct terroir of the Chassignol lieu-dit in Moulin A Vent. The 2010 vintage, aged in old Burgundian barrels, reveals the magic of Duperray's minimalist intervention style, using natural yeast fermentation and minimal sulphite implementation. This magnificent red wine dazzles with its intense ruby robe, unveiling layered aromas of black cherries, violets, and mineral undertones.

The Jules Desjourneys Moulin A Vent Chassignol 2010's palate exudes concentration and energy, unraveling a complex spectrum of flavours, finishing with a breath-taking persistence. Serving suggestion: decant for two hours before savouring. This fine Gamay has the potential to evolve and mature, promising enjoyment for years to come. Immerse in a glass of Jules Desjourneys Moulin A Vent Chassignol 2010, a testament to the power and grace of Beaujolais.

Vinous (94)

Inky purple. An exotic bouquet presents black and blue fruit preserves, vanilla, licorice and potpourri. Sweet, deeply pitched blueberry and cherry-vanilla flavors stain the palate and gain spiciness with aeration. Shows superb energy and power on the finish, with lingering touches of smoke, cracked pepper and floral pastille. This sweet, seamless wine should be left to rest for at least another five to seven years and probably much longer.

Vinous (93)

Vivid red. High-pitched aromas of redcurrant, black raspberry and potpourri, with a deeper note of licorice adding a serious quality. Muscular but light on its feet, offering nervy red and dark berry flavors that expand and deepen with air. A spicy nuance carries through the very long, seductively sweet finish. (JR)

Wine Advocate (89+)

Deep garnet-purple in color and replete with aromas of ripe mulberries, black currants and black cherries with suggestions of black pepper, bacon, tree bark and star anise, the medium-bodied 2010 Syrah offers just enough black fruit, savory and spicy flavors in the mouth and is supported by a low to medium level of rounded tannins, perky acid and a finish with good length. Drink it now to 2018+.

Wine Spectator (92)

A structured, weighty style, with dark blueberry, fig and blackberry fruit. There's ample toast, but it's well-embedded. Big but polished. Score range: 89-92

Wine Advocate (100)

Deep garnet colored, the 2010 L'Eglise Clinet begins unassumingly with gentle notions of fragrant dried flowers and wild sage leading to savory nut and meat characters over an expanding core of preserved plums, blueberry compote and black cherry coulis plus a waft of menthol. Full-bodied, concentrated and wonderfully decadent, the palate is absolutely packed with rich, ripe black fruit preserves and loads of spicy sparks, framed by super ripe, super plush tannins, finishing very long and decadent. I love the interplay of subtly and power here - this is truly a WOW wine!

Wine Spectator (97)

A Pomerol of a different color, relying heavily on dense muscle and dark charcoal notes, with a core of fig, blackberry paste and blueberry reduction waiting in reserve. Very solid through the finish, displaying a thick ganache coating and extra loam, black licorice and dark fig notes rolling through. Best from 2017 through 2037. -JM

James Suckling (96)

Fabulous nose of spice, mushrooms, blueberries and blackberries follows through to a full body, with firm tannins and a silky tannins. This is so savory and beautiful. Best second wine ever from La Mission. Give it until 2018 to open, but hard to wait.

James Suckling (96)

Fabulous nose of spice, mushrooms, blueberries and blackberries follows through to a full body, with firm tannins and a silky tannins. This is so savory and beautiful. Best second wine ever from La Mission. Give it until 2018 to open, but hard to wait.