Part One of our 2010 Bordeaux Report detailed the indisputable ‘Parkerised’ highlights of the vintage, in this Part Two we hope to give a more personalised insight into some of the inevitable ‘unsung heroes’ that may be overlooked in such a classic vintage. At the En Primeur tastings we sampled around 300 wines, so we were aware of the challenges we might face in the attempt to do justice to so many wines of consistent and surpassing quality. Nevertheless these wines deserve our recognition, particularly as many even represent a step up from the esteemed 09s.

Some Choice Second Wines:

It is unsurprising that a vintage of such stunning quality and consistency would also allow many illustrious châteaux to produce brilliant second wines. As well as offering a taste of the Grand Vins at a fraction of the price, it is in these second wines where the improvements of the 10s can perhaps be felt most strongly, and we can offer two of the best:

Carruades de Lafite Pauillac, £1,900 per case of 12/75cl Bottles
93-95+ Nickolls & Perks En Primeur Score
94 Parker Points

Another brilliant second wine, the 2010 Carruades de Lafite is elegant and amazing for a second wine from Lafite. The wine displays much of the same lead pencil, charcoal and black currant notes of its bigger sister, although it is forward, precocious and far less structured than the grand vin. Nevertheless, this wine, which can be drunk now, will cellar beautifully for at least 20-25 more years. Robert Parker.

La Clarence de Haut-Brion, £795 per case of 12/75cl Bottles
93-95+ Nickolls & Perks En Primeur Score
93 Parker Points

The 2010 is among the finest I have tasted there. It is a broad, powerful and more muscular wine than its cross-street rival, La Chapelle de la Mission, but all the same, it is wonderfully fresh and precise, with notes of blueberry and boysenberry as well as hints of smoke and wet stones. Endowed with gorgeous fruit, texture, purity and elegance, this relatively dense second wine demonstrates how draconian the selection process has become for the top estates in Bordeaux in recent years. The blend of this wine is 52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Cabernet Franc with just a touch of Petit Verdot. I would expect it to last at least 20 years, which is remarkable. Robert Parker.

These second wines also demonstrate the admirable and remarkable tendency of many of the vintage’s wines to improve significantly out of barrel and into bottle. This is always a good sign in general, but it is particularly so in this case because many of the 10s have improved in such a way without attracting a sharp increase in the price they are currently being traded for. However the market will catch on soon enough as competition heats up for the top wines of the vintage.

Our Other Favourites:

Although such homogeneity of premium quality as present in this vintage is without doubt a good thing, it also means that occasionally some wines which truly deserve attention will miss out. For this reason we would like to draw your attention to the following;

La Mission-Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan, £5,200 per case of 12/75cl Bottles
96-98+ Nickolls & Perks En Primeur Score
98+ Parker Points

A strong candidate for a perfect score in about 15 years…one of the goliaths of the vintage…has the definite potential to be a 50- to 75-year wine. Dense purple, it offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, charcoal embers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur along with massive concentration, a multi-dimensional mouthfeel and a monumental finish that goes well past a minute, which I think might be a record for a young Bordeaux…It will need a good decade of cellaring. An amazing wine. Anticipated maturity: 2024-2075+. Robert Parker.

Fresher and more precise than the 09 in our opinion.

Château Pichon-Lalande 2nd Cru Pauillac £1,480 per case of 12/75cl Bottles
94-96+ Nickolls & Perks En Primeur Score
95+ Parker Points

The 2010 Pichon Lalande is performing extremely well and at the top of the range I predicted several years ago. A final blend dominated much more by Cabernet Sauvignon than usual (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot), the wine is a tighter, more tannic and structured version of this famed Pauillac, which often tends to have more of a St-Julien-like personality than most Pauillacs. Structured, backward and tannic, yet showing a fat mid-palate that is more savory, broader and more expansive than I remember from barrel, this wine is somewhat reminiscent of the 1986, given the Cabernet Sauvignon domination of the blend. Full-bodied, impressively endowed, and less sexy and velvety than normal, this is a somewhat different style of Pichon Lalande than most readers have been used to. Whether you like it more or less will depend on your point of view, but this wine, unlike most Pichon Lalandes, needs a good 5-7 years of cellaring and should keep for 30+ years. Robert Parker.

Best Value Cru Bourgeois Médocs:

The strength and profundity of quality in the 2010 vintage really shines through the Cru Bourgeois Medocs that were produced, representing some of the finest in recent years. We have a large range of these fantastic wines, representing great value, but these are the two which perhaps best demonstrate what the Medoc was capable of in such a strong vintage.

Château Cantemerle 5th Cru Haut-Médoc, £279 per case of 12/75cl Bottles
94+ Parker Points

The wine needs a good 7-10 years of cellaring and should keep for 30 more years, but this is the finest Cantemerle I have encountered in my professional career of tasting young vintages … Stunningly deep ruby/purple, with a beautiful nose of spring flowers intermixed with perfumed raspberry and blueberry notes, it exhibits a sort of cool-climate character. Broad, rich and intense on the palate, the wine has plenty of tannins, but they are sweet and well-integrated. Everything is delicately entwined into this beautiful, medium to full-bodied, dense purple wine, which shows stunning character and a prodigious potential for development. This is definitely a major sleeper of the vintage and even better than I thought from barrel. Robert Parker.

Château La Tour Carnet 4th Cru Haut-Médoc, £255 per case of 12/75cl Bottles
93 Parker Points

Probably La Tour Carnet’s best since their 2001, the 2010 La Tour Carnet exhibits wonderful ripeness, a dense ruby/purple color, notes of licorice, camphor and some toast as well as lots of black currant and blueberry fruit. It is medium to full-bodied, with attractive sweetness of tannin, good acidity, excellent delineation to its component parts, and a full-bodied, impressively long finish. This wine may close down somewhat, given the moderate tannins, but it seems relatively accessible despite being a 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2035. Robert Parker.

Best Early Drinkers:

2010 was a vintage such as cellars were built for, producing a great deal of wines boasting immense structure and which are destined for posterity. Nevertheless, it may come as a pleasant surprise to many that there are a select number of 10s that are providing immensely gratifying drinking even now, more so than the 09s even. Here are two of these:

Clos Des Jacobins Grand Cru Classé Saint-Émilion, £275 per case of 12/75cl Bottles
90 Parker Points

This wine has turned out well and is one of the strongest efforts from this estate in many a year. Three-fourths Merlot and the rest mostly Cabernet Franc, the wine offers up oodles of sweet black raspberry, camphor and black currant along with some forest floor and roasted herbs. Super-fruity, opaque ruby/purple, medium to full-bodied, hedonistic and lush, it should drink nicely for at least 10-12+ years. Robert Parker.

Château Vrai Canon Bouché Canon-Fronsac, £175 per case of 12/75cl Bottles
92 Parker Points

…Opaque blue/purple, the unmistakable notes of wet rock, blueberry liqueur, spring flower garden, crushed chalk and earth are all present in this full-bodied, seriously endowed, over-achieving Fronsac, It is built for the long haul…drink it over the following 10-15, possibly even 20. Robert Parker.

Our Favourite Whites:

It is a testament to the unique attributes of the 2010 vintage that both red and white wines of superior quality could be produced. We were stunned by some of the white wines we tasted, exhibiting the classic structure, complexity and balance of the vintage as a whole. The high levels of acidity present in the 10s shines through these wines beautifully, imbuing them with an invigorating freshness to go along with their beguiling poise and clarity. White Bordeaux in this vintage, though high achieving, was also produced in very small quantities, and these wines therefore represent some of the most sought after wines on the market. The following two wines are great examples of the harmony between freshness of fruit and solidity of structure that we feel characterises 2010 White Bordeaux:

Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Léognan Blanc, £720 per case of 12/75cl Bottles
95 Parker Points

A stunning wine with hints of pineapple, caramelized citrus, mandarin oranges, smoky figs and hazelnuts, this is a full-bodied, rich, superb white Graves from the Cathiard family. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035. Robert Parker.

Domaine De Chevalier Pessac-Léognan Blanc, £695 per case of 12/75cl Bottles, 
94+ Parker Points

A backward style of wine with notes of honeyed pears, subtle citrus, candle wax, orange zest and lemon butter, this medium to full-bodied, rich wine has terrific acidity and a long, long finish. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050. Robert Parker.