Blueberry and violets on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, with fine tannins and a medium finish. Lovely raciness and balance to this. A little closed, but classy. 90-93 points, James Suckling for The Wine Spectator, Online March 25, 2010.
Once again a sleeper of the vintage from this over-performing estate owned by the brilliant consultant Stephane Derenoncourt and his wife, Christine, the 2009 l’A was cropped at 34 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 70% Merlot and the rest mostly Cabernet Franc. The natural alcohol came in at 14.5%. The result is an opaque purple-colored wine revealing an attractive smoky, blackberry, cassis, cherry, graphite, and ink-scented bouquet. Full-bodied, layered, dense, and pure, this is a beauty to enjoy over the next decade or more. It should be one of the great bargains of the vintage. (Tasted three times.) 90-92 points. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate #188 (APR 2010)
Dark purple-ruby. Minty, lightly balsamic nose offers notes of ripe dark plum and cassis. Then bright and fresh in the mouth, with a suave texture to the ripe black fruit and chocolate flavors. Finishes moderately long and a tad warm, with an attractive resonating minerality resonating. This should offer a lot of wine for the money, and I would bet on a positive evolution in bottle. This is winemaking consultant Stephane Derenoncourt's home estate. 89-91 Points, Ian D'Agata for Stephen Tanzer's Int'l Cellar (May 2010) | 
