Le Dôme 2010

A full-bodied wine, but ethereal in its elegance and finesse, the wine has a strikingly provocative bouquet of camphor, blueberry jam, violets, new saddle leather, white chocolate and spice. Extremely full-bodied, but again, not showing any weighty fatigue or any type of aggressiveness, this wine has extraordinary purity and richness as well as a blockbuster finish of close to a minute, yet is so flawless, seamless and compelling, it's hard to believe the wine is this concentrated and rich. It will be interesting to see how it evolves, but it certainly can be drunk in 3-4 years and, I'm sure, cellared for as long as 25-35 years from now. There are 1,000 cases of this wine, which has one of the highest percentages of Cabernet Franc of any wine in Bordeaux (80%). The balance is Merlot. The 2009 from Le Dome flirted with perfection, but this wine swallows the entire scoring system, and rightfully so

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Le Dôme 2010 has a hedonistic bouquet with sensual black cherry, blueberry and crème de cassis scents that soar from the glass. The palate is intensely tannic and robust: unashamedly modern in style and yet I like the acidity that binds it together. Monstrously backward, this is a vin de garde that will need at least a decade to mellow because the oak is still quite conspicuous. Tasted January 2014.

The 2010 Le Dome is a blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. Deep garnet colored, it opens with notions of kirsch, baked raspberries and mulberries with touches of oolong tea, cigar boxes and dried herbs. Full-bodied, it has firm, chewy tannins and a lively line defining the evolving dried berries and earthy layers, finishing on a stewed tea note. Already mature, drink it over the next 15-18 years. 2020 - 2038.

The fruit fleshing out the nose is rich and ripe all apparently very black fruit in character. The mid palate sweetness is backed by firm but ripe tannins structured but not aggressive. The fruit at the back is layered first black cherry then riper plum underpinned by bramble.