Dark red. Complex nose melds currant, minerals, flowers, tobacco and smoky oak. Suave on entry, then dry but rich and expansive in the middle, with mineral and soil tones. Builds impressively toward the back. Finishes rich and chocolatey, with building, ripe tannins and a bit of alcoholic warmth.

Performing better from bottle than it did from barrel, this is a classic, elegant La Fleur-Petrus (in contrast to the blockbuster 2006) offering hints of kirsch liqueur, soy, and resiny pine forest notes. Elegant, medium-bodied, fresh, and pure, it is best drunk over the next 14-15 years.

Closed off behind its generous oak treatment, this wine is massive, with scents of baked strawberries and plums coming up from behind the oak tannin. It's balanced, but has yet to show clear definition; a substantial Pomerol built for the cellar.

Very ripe aromas--plum, almost prune--and hints of coffee. Full-bodied and very silky, with loads of structure and ripe fruit. I love the length. Score range: 92-94

a superb wine this is going to be. It is rich, elegant, poised, with its super-ripe, but still fresh, berry fruit flavors exhibiting much of the richness of Merlot when it has been ripened slowly and surely. While this has less intensity than its neighbor of Château Pétrus, the Cabernet Franc in the blend gives it intriguing perfumes.