Château La Lagune 2010

Another great success from proprietress Caroline Frey, the 2010 La Lagune provides an essential drinking experience, with notes of Asian plum sauce, mulberries, kirsch liqueur and black currants. The wine also exhibits a savory, rich smokiness and subtle lead pencil shaving notes. Full-bodied and pure, combining both elegance and power, this is a brilliant, very approachable effort that should hit its stride in 5-7 years and last for at least two decades. Think of it as a hypothetical blend of the 2005 and 2009. Kudos!

A bit bretty on the nose, dark fruit and vanilla, tobacco and dark chocolate notes. Round and forward, nicely sculpted, body but also lots of juicy, clean red and blue fruits. Elegant, with not so much weight or chew at this point. Textured with softly grippy wet stone tannins giving the frame and a long, fresh finish that makes you want another sip. Subtly charming. Finishes a touch dry.

This shows an enchanting nose of roses, violets and other flowers. It's also fruity but very subtle. A full-bodied, super-structured red with an excellent backbone of ripe yet firm tannins. Goes on for minutes. Don’t touch for five or six years. Try in 2019.

The 2010 La Lagune has a vigorous bouquet with blackberry, briary and tobacco aromas, quite feisty compared to its peers, then settling down and showing more red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine thread of acidity. It builds nicely toward a cohesive, silky-smooth finish with a pinch of white pepper on the aftertaste. Excellent. Tasted blind at the Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

Medium-bodied with notes of flowers, red fruits, forest leaf, spice, and tobacco on the nose. Soft, fresh, elegant, and refined on the palate, with various red and black fruits; vibrant, long, sweet, and refined. Drink from 2022–2040.

Deep purple-garnet, dense core. Fairly open bouquet with spicy, blueberry fruit notes and a hint of bitter almond. Quite fleshy on the palate, with ample substance and balanced astringency, showing muscle and still a fine, powdery extract. Very good potential, can still improve.

Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with lilac highlights on the rim. Fairly open bouquet with spicy, blueberry-like fruit, a hint of bitter almond. Quite fleshy on the palate with ample substance, balanced astringency, showing muscle and a still finely powdery extract. Very good potential, can improve further. (17/20). 12: Dark garnet with violet reflections. Plenty of Cabernet spice in the form of blackberries and blackberry canes. Cassis and licorice. Tight palate, slightly stern muscle but lots of aromatics and also a smoky, almost truffle-like depth. Much better in bottle than at en primeur. It now gets one more point and I hope it can keep this rating until it reaches maturity.

Fresh, fruity, mineral and peppery bouquet, red and blue berries, cedar, tobacco. Velvety, balanced, elegant, classic palate with good fruit concentration, plenty of tannins, powerful aromatics, long, fresh, spicy finish. Can improve further. 17/20 2016 - 2030

Luscious texture, this is significantly more impressive than the 2009 from the first moment. Here you get the broody, savoury quality that you look for in a 2010, with dark hedgerow fruits, well balanced, cocoa bean, sage, capsicum, grilled sandalwood, confident tannic grip and an expansive mid-palate. 50% new oak for ageing.

The attack is supple, the mid-palate is concentrated with a lovely sweetness, fairly fresh, with a slight tannic firmness.

Decanted. Is it easy to pick out La Lagune in the middle of a vertical of La Chapelle? Not really. I’d like to remind you that I consider 2010 the greatest vintage of the past 30 years. Intense, beautiful color. The nose is also intense, with ripe, creamy fruit. The palate is very well constructed, immediately sappy, then highly aromatic, juicy with brightness through the mid-palate. Noble tannins. Very long finish with fine licorice notes. Superb! Blend: 50% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, 10% petit verdot.