2010 Chateau Haut Rocher Saint Emilion 750 ml

In terms of richness, structure, and depth, Jérôme de Monteil’s award-winning 2010 Château Haut Rocher is among the greatest Right Bank bargains of Wine Spectator’s 96- to 99-point vintage. If you’ve yet to fill your cellar with the spectacular Saint Emilions of 2010s, this is a CASE BUY — a top-flight Bordeaux that will be paying lavish dividends well into the mid-2020s.

In the midst of the European recession, even in Saint Emilion, many châteaux are feeling the heat. As banks tighten credit lines, proprietors are tightening their purse strings, hesitant to throw good money after bad. Nothing could be further from the truth at Château Haut Rocher, where Jérôme de Monteil is “spending into the recession,” betting on the extraordinary potential of his Right Bank jewel.

Set in Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse at the eastern edge of Saint Emilion, Haut Rocher has always enjoyed one of the more splendid perches of the appellation. With neighbors like Péby Faugères (97 points) and Valandraud (97+ points), up until 2008, many considered Haut Rocher to be Saint-Émilion’s greatest underachiever. But, with the arrival of Gilles Pauquet (consulting enologist to Cheval Blanc, Figeac, and La Conseillante in Pomerol), under the direction of the indefatigable de Monteil, Haut Rocher has put the Right Bank on notice — and is hot on its neighbors’ heels.

In 2010, one of the greatest vintages of our lifetimes, M. Pauquet’s Château Haut Rocher Saint Emilion Grand Cru is deep, dark, and polished. The nose offers a sumptuous mix of raspberries, dark plum, cedar, and new-French-cooperage vanilla. After 45 minutes in oversized Riedel, the aromas become much more intense, piercing, and chiseled. Big, rich, and voluminous on the attack, filled with red and black fruits, the sturdy tannins are just beginning to soften, arguing powerfully for 10-15 years of cellar slumber.

$35 on release. Just $24 for a short time today on WineAccess. 480 bottles. Shipping included on 6.