Something changed in the approximately 5 months since I wrote the ambivalent tasting note below. I don't know if the wine evolved significantly in this time, or if my tastes have (I doubt that since I still like the wines I liked before) or if I was having a bad day - more likely - but in any case the wine now shows lots of black and blue fruit and some earthiness, and it is BIG. Nice smooth finish and nicely bracketed with decent acidity. I'm thinking grilled flank steak, or maybe tri-tip.

Open it a hour in advance - and it is ready to drink now (JAN 2013). Lovely bordeaux blend.

When I moved to the US 13 years ago, I was an established Bordeaux fanatic. Meanwhile I discovered the hedonistic Californians. This led me to put the B's in a more comparative framework. Meaning that my loyalty gradually declined and is only remaining for the Sauternes. Still, I bought this wine and am currently wavering between a 3 and a 4 score. I definitely like it but it is not a Californian. Hopefully it will age well. Patrick Bols

Very berry to the nose and rich and dark in the glass. A deep chewy fruit that rolls pleasantly into a light smooth tannins. Complex in the fruit, it should improve some yet and the tannins linger.

After buying (and drinking) a case of the 2005 a few years ago, I bought a bottle of the 2010 to see if the quality has remained constant. It has, and I'm going to grab another case or two as my 'House Bordeaux'. Excellent quality and price.

The writeup got us to buy, but if anything, it was understated. Laying the last four bottles down.

This wine is an enigma to me. The WineAccess description is not inaccurate, but it did not communicate to me what the wine would really be like. Since it is a Right Bank Bordeaux, I presumed it would be Merlot dominated, with some Cabernet Franc and perhaps even some Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, but I think it must be heavily Cabernet Franc. It is very(!) intense both on the nose and the palate, very smooth, and obviously well made, but the flavor profile is not what I anticipated. I'm confident that for someone more familiar with this genre the wine would rate a four, or even the fives I've see from other reviewers, but for me personally, and rated on drinkability alone, it is only a three - and this after nursing half the bottle for about 3 hours and then putting the rest in a half-bottle in the cellar overnight with little change. Maybe it will be more to my liking with some bottle age - don't know, but we'll see.

While this wine got better after being opened for over 6 hours, it never really delivered on it's promise. The middle range was just average and the finish was undistinguished. I would not recommend this wine to any friends. Sorry, just not that good.