90% merlot 10% cabernet franc. 18 months in 80% new oak. I had the chance to taste this wine back in March in San Francisco when it was still going through malolactic fermentation. Now it is beautiful offering aromas of violet and rose with blackberry liquor blueberry and fresh black cherry on the nose. Silky and supple with smooth tannins this is simply delicious. Drink upon release and over the next 15 years. Excellent!

Ripe black cherries, darker currants, smoky earth, truffle, and smoke tobacco-like nuances all emerge from the 2010 Château Barde-Haut, a quintessential Saint-Emilion that brings considerable elegance and purity, as well as the richness and depth of the vintage. It's just now at the early stages of its drinking window and has another 10-15 years. Drink 2025-2040.

A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The Barde-Haut 2010 has a ripe nose of mulberry blackberry and cassis with a touch of crushed violet. The palate is medium-bodied with a lot of very ripe Merlot fleshy sweet fruit that is lacking just a little freshness and tension towards the finish. This was a very late malolactic that means the sulphur is denuding brightness a little at this stage hence my plus sign. God knows how it tasted like to those critics who sampled it in early March.

Still a bit compact, with blueberry coulis, fig and blackberry paste notes tightly wound, backed by tangy black licorice, singed apple wood and tar on the finish, which features a very sleek structure and a buried iron note. This has good vivacity and should unwind nicely in the cellar. Best from 2015 through 2030. – JM

Starting to open up and deliver licorice, espresso bean, earth and sweet, dark cherries with ease, the wine is full bodied, concentrated and ripe, with freshness to the fruits, licorice and earthy fruits in the end notes. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2010&wine=Chateau%20Barde-Haut

Loads of blueberry, black cherry and dusty, loamy soil notes as well as hints of herbs, licorice and incense jump from the glass of this well-endowed, supple wine. Tannins are sweet and the acidity sufficient to give delineation to the wine. Full-bodied and impressively endowed, it should drink well over the next 10-15 years. - Robert Parker