A brilliant effort from well-known oenologists Dany and Michel Rolland, the 2009 Bon Pasteur is dominated by Merlot, with a touch of Cabernet Franc included in the blend. It reveals textbook notes of mocha, tobacco leaf, blackberries, black cherries, roasted coffee and wood smoke. Full-bodied and luscious with a succulent, beautifully textured, multidimensional mouthfeel, low acidity and sweet but noticeable tannin, it is reminiscent of the 1982 Bon Pasteur, which continued to put on weight for a decade or more. If the 2009 does the same, it will come close to equaling that legendary vintage. Drink it over the next 20+ years.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #199, Feb 2012)

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Le Bon Pasteur has a comparatively generous bouquet with dark berries, sloes and mulberry with lifted alcohol. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It has a core of rich dark berry fruit with hints of molasses and bay leaf, whilst the finish needs a couple more years to fully integrate and unwind. Lovely. Tasted January 2013.

– eRobertParker.com, Jul 2013

Ruby-red. Superripe aromas of raspberry, iron, sweet spices, tobacco and sweet oak. Lush, broad and ripe, with sumptuous red cherry and blackcurrant flavors saturating the palate without leaving any undue impression of weight. The enticing, fine-grained finish shows lovely floral lift and a light touch. I found a distinct aromatic resemblance between this wine, from a property owned by Michel and Dany Rolland, and Italy's famous Masseto, the 100%-merlot wine from Ornellaia where Rolland consults. Perhaps the best young Le Bon Pasteur of the last 20 years, and a wine that will one day rival the 1982 and 1989.

Deep ruby. Cocoa and coffee complicate ripe black plum and blueberry aromas on the forward nose. Bright, juicy and dense, with ripe black cherry and plum flavors nicely framed by lively acidity and complicated by a hint of milk chocolate. The finish is long, smooth and pure.

[80/20] Ripe, plummy, natural black cherry and mineral nose; nicely balanced, medium full wine, finely if dryly tannic, with a nice but not excessive concentration, and a fresh acidity; long and quite racy to taste, well sustained across the palate, gently spicy, sweetly ripe, black cherry and oak vanilla flavours, a nice mouthfilling fragrance, a gentle minerality and a long, gently sweet, perfumed finish. Very nice! 2018-30

Tasted blind. Blackish crimson. Mid weight of menthol on the nose. Dusty finish as though the fruit were rather raisined. Dry finish. Needs a bit more juice. (JR)