(51% merlot, 34% cabernet sauvignon and 15% cabernet franc): Deep purple. Cherry, mocha, licorice and a whiff of meat on the nose. Pliant and sweet in the mouth, with good herbal lift to the raspberry, red plum and sweet spice flavors. Ripe tannins spread out to dust the entire mouth. A potentially very good Potensac.

A sleeper of the vintage, this blend of 52% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc exhibits outstanding ripeness (13.5% alcohol) as well as a deep ruby/purple color and excellent notes of crushed rocks, red and black currants, licorice and earth. Supple-textured, medium-bodied and nicely concentrated, it should provide pleasure over the next 7-10 years.

The Potensac is a blend of 52% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc cropped at 48hl/ha. It has a light cedar-driven bouquet where despite the predominance of Merlot, the Cabernet is the defining feature with attractive tertiary/sous-bois scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a stony entry, quite terse and linear, perhaps strict with no frills. Crisp blackberry and briary towards the finish with a sense of clinical abruptness. Tasted April 2012.

[52M/34CS/14CF] Dense nose of mineral and ripe red fruit; a quite rich core of fruit in a slightly austere frame of crisp acidity and firm tannin; very red fruit in flavour, elegant, moderate complexity, quite grippy texture; good medium length. 2018-30 [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2012]

Lively, tangy style, with currant and pomegranate notes and nice floral lift on the finish. A touch crisp but should soften enough with the elevage.-J.M.

Displaying attractive berry fruit, damp earth and spice notes along with a touch of herbaceousness, this medium-bodied, cleanly made, bistro-styled red can be consumed over the next 4-5 years.

Cabernet Sauvignon, 52% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc. 30% new oak. Deep cherry crimson. Lifted red cherry fruit, aromatic and bright. Finest of tannins, lively and fresh and with an excellent balance of dry tannin and fresh fruit. Real purity of fruit. Then the fine tension of the tannins. Precision, helped by accurate sorting (optical sorting machine).