Impressive finesse for the vintage, with beautiful, fresh tobacco, cedar and coffee aromas and flavors. Full-bodied and very silky with a fine, long finish. Drinkable now.--The Bordeaux 50. — JS

Medium red with some brick at the rim. Deep but reticent aromas of redcurrant, tobacco leaf, licorice and tar; improved noticeably with aeration, picking up an aromatic floral quality. Juicy, round and suave, with good definition and a seamless texture to its redcurrant and soil flavors. The finish features sneaky complexity and ripe tannins, but not the grip or intensity of the best vintages of Lynch-Bages. Ian D'Agata

Ex-cellar bottle tasted blind at the Lynch Bages vertical. This has a light nose, mulberry, a touch of wild mushroom, sloe and a touch of caramel. Moderate definition. Palate is medium-bodied, quite rustic tannins, mulberry, touch of leather, the acidity a little sharp and attacking. Course, peppery finish. This is not bad, but is beginning to dry out a little. Drink now. Tasted September 2009.