2010 Chateau Bellevue-Mondotte, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

The wine is not as powerful as one might expect, given the owners and winemaking team, coming in at 14.3%. A sensational, rather massive example for a 2010, this opaque purple wine offers up notes of subtle barbecue smoke, blackberry and cassis as well as a hints of lead pencil shavings and a confiture of red and black fruits in the mouth. Full-bodied, unctuously textured and excruciatingly tannic, this is a big, blockbuster style of wine meant for 10-50+ years of cellaring.

This miniature 5-acre vineyard, beautifully situated in St.-Emilion, has produced a blend of 90% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Yields were 24 hectoliters per hectare.

95+ pts - Robert Parker Junior, 28th Feb 2013

This 5-acre vineyard, purchased by Chantal and Gerard Perse in 2001, is planted with 90% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It sits on the plateau above Pavie Decesse and Pavie Macquin. Yields in 2010 were 24 hectoliters per hectare and the alcohol percentage is 14.3%. A dense purple hue is followed by aromas of crushed rocks, acacia flowers, boysenberries, kirsch and blacker fruits in the background. The wine possesses great ripeness, a dense, full-bodied mouthfeel, sweet tannin and a massive style. It appears to be more evolved and forward than most Bellevue Mondotte vintages have been under the Perse administration. Give it 4-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 20-25.

93-95 pts - Robert Parker Junior, 2nd may 2011