A solid red, with raspberry and currant aromas and flavors. Full body, with solid tannins. Polished texture. Well crafted. Try after 2018.

Aromas of blackberries, unsmoked cigar tobacco and cedar/sagebrush jump from the glass of this dense purple-hued Pauillac. Full-bodied with more depth and richness than usual as well as moderate tannins, this potential sleeper of the vintage offers 15-20 years of aging potential. Moreover, it is modestly priced. Purchasers should give it 4-5 years of cellaring and enjoy it over the following two decades. (RP)

A very pure, polished style, with an almost-rounded feel to the beam of cassis, dark plum and black cherry fruit, which gets support from graphite, dark olive and alder wood notes that extend through the finish. Best from 2013 through 2022. 7,500 cases made. (JM)

(60% cabernet and 40% merlot): Full, deep red-ruby. Highly perfumed nose combines blackberry, licorice, menthol and medicinal herbs. Sweet, supple and fine-grained for a wine from this property, with strong primary dark berry and chocolate flavors complicated by nuances of herbs, tobacco leaf and leather. Plenty of supporting acidity to give clarity to the mid-palate. Nicely aromatic on the lingering, lightly tarry finish.

Deep purple-ruby. Initially muted on the nose, opening slowly to reveal hints of fresh blackcurrant and smoky sassafras. Then much sweeter and juicy in the mouth, with superripe blackberry, blueberry and mineral flavors. Finishes with sneaky concentration and good length, with youthfully aggressive tannins. I would have scored this even higher except for a nagging worry about the fruit outlasting the tannins. Yet another example of a wine that should rank as one of the property's best ever.

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Grand Puy Ducasse '09 has a more generous, riper, slightly more exotic bouquet. The palate seems to show some excessive skin maceration at the expense of definition and clarity, especially towards the finish. This is a respectable '09, if missing a little "excitement". Tasted January 2013.

Tasted blind. Very ripe nose – almost Châteauneuf-like! Big and bold. No shy, retiring flower. Decidedly brassy. Rather a hot finish. (JR)