What a wonderful nose of crushed berries and flowers. Full body, with super polished tannins and a long juicy finish. It's a little austere. It must be the small percentage of Carmenere in the blend. Yummy but better in 2016. Seductive.
-www.jamessuckling.com, 'Tasting Report: 2010's Greatness Across The Board in Bordeaux', 17 Feb 2013

(91-92 pts)
Bright and fruity with a lovely purity of cherries and berries, minerals and firm tannins. Lively acidity. The 7 percent Carmenere gives this a lively and unique style.

Tasted at Chateau Ausone, the Fonbel ’10 is a little reticent on the nose at first, opening with attractive oyster shell notes accompanying the bright red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. It is well balanced with black cherries and redcurrant, a welcome pinch of spice towards the tightly coiled finish. Perhaps I was expecting a little more persistency after its bottle showing, although it serves as a decent follow-up to the 2009 Fonbel. Tasted November 2012.

(87-89 pts)
Very dark berried, slightly herbaceous fruit on the nose that is well defined and quite rustic compared to recent vintages. The palate is full-bodied with firm, strict tannins, somehow reminding me of a Malbec. Good weight and length, but not as complex as the 2009. Tasted March 2011.

Taut with briar and blackberry flavors, this shows sappy black cherry on the finish, with buried minerality. -J.M.

A very good, competent St.-Emilion with notes of cedar, roasted herbs, lavender, black cherries and spice, there is something southern Rhone-like to this wine’s aromatics. However, on the palate, the wine is classic Bordeaux, with moderate tannin, medium weight, and good freshness and precision. Drink it over the next decade. Drink: 2013 - 2023
-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #205 Feb 2013

(85-87 pts)
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 02/05/2011
From Alain Vauthier, the proprietor of Ausone, Fonbel’s 2010 reveals surprisingly high acidity as well as a more narrow constitution than expected given the winemaking team responsible for its production. It exhibits a dense ruby/purple color along with some minerality and red and black fruits, but it seems monolithic compared to its peers. Drink it during its first 10-12 years of life.