The Peby Faugeres comes from a sector of Faugeres of over 20 acres where the vines are 45 years of age on average. In 2009 the yields were only 18 hectoliters per hectare. This 100% Merlot cuvee was impressive from barrel but is even more remarkable from bottle. One of the superstars of the vintage, this dense, opaque purple wine displays notes of blueberry liqueur intermixed with graphite, pen ink, licorice, incense and white flowers. Deep and full-bodied, with a boatload of tannin and glycerin as well as incredible texture and length, this is a wine of first-growth quality from St.-Emilion that should be cellared for a good 7-8 years, and then drunk over the following 25-30. It finished at around 15% natural alcohol and there are about 1,000 cases of it.

Pushed to the limit of extraction and richness, the fruit for the 2009 Faugeres Cuvee Speciale Peby (100% Merlot cropped at 18 hectoliters per hectare) was harvested especially late, with the last grapes coming in during the third week of October. Half of the wine is fermented traditionally in tank, and the other half is fermented in small barrels. Exceptionally full-bodied with a black/blue color, it offers up a big, sweet kiss of vanillin intermixed with blackberry liqueur, graphite, earth, and charcoal. There is massive richness, and the elevated tannins are sweet and well-integrated. Along with the wine’s freshness and moderate pH, that results in a wine that clearly defines all the special and distinctive characteristics of the 2009 vintage. (Tasted three times.)

(100% merlot) Deep inky-ruby. Almost overripe aromas of blackberry, plum, vanilla and cedar. Then rich, dense and sweet in the mouth, with blackberry jam, wet earth, graphite and charred oak flavors saturating the palate. Finishes smooth and very long, with a peppery nuance providing lift. This impressively rich and concentrated wine really pushes my envelope: its almost Amarone-like ripeness is not my ideal in fine Bordeaux but many drinkers will love this style.