Domaine de l'A 2010

The wine displays loads of roasted espresso bean with hints of white chocolate, rich cassis and cherry. With its opaque ruby/purple color, medium to full body, silky texture and very sweet tannins, this is once again a sleeper of the vintage, as it so often is in both great and good to very good years. Kudos to the Derenoncourts. Drink it over the next 5-10 years. Its alcohol is at an all-time high of 14%.From the home estate of Stephane and Christine Derenoncourt, this blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc was produced from tiny yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare.

The 2010 Domaine de l’A offers a little more detail and tension compared directly with the 2009: quite intense black cherry and boysenberry fruit, rose petal and a hint of iris. I find this less sensual than the 2009 but with better focus. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, a more sinewy and saline, marine-influenced Domaine de l’A. I would argue that it just needs more complexity and detail towards the finish. Overall, this is a case where I prefer the 2009 over the 2010 in terms of sheer pleasure and completeness, although both are very fine. Tasted at Berry Brothers & Rudd vertical with Stéphane Derenoncourt. 2018 - 2025

Very dark maroon. Open nose with some breadth. Very pure flavours but a little severe on the finish. Much less exaggerated than some of the other Derenoncourt Bordeaux. There is some legibility here.

The oak is rather obvious on both nose and palate but behind the oak is some rich cassis enriched by dark chocolate. It is the modern style but not overdone or over blown.