The Dassault is a blend of 80% Merlot 17% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon picked between the 26th September (with one plot of young vines) and then from the beginning of October and finished on the 8th October. It was a slow harvest where they used an optical sorting machine. It has a lifted nose of black cherries and cassis fruit the new oak quite noticeable with exotic aromas developing with time. The palate is full-bodied with toasty ripe tannins. It has good depth and structure with fresh modern Saint Emilion finish that has admirable focus and length. This should be a very fine Saint Emilion that may merit a higher mark after bottling. Tasted April 2012.

This estate has been producing fine wines over recent years. Their most recent effort, the medium-bodied 2011, is a plump, forward, precociously-styled wine with a dark plum/ruby/purple color, a big sweet bouquet of black raspberries, spring flowers and currants, and a stunningly seductive style. Drink it over the next decade. It is a sleeper of the vintage. - Robert Parker