Château Larmande 2010

Dense and slightly chewy in style, with a strong briary edge to the warm currant confiture and steeped black cherry fruit. A strong roasted alder note on the finish keeps the grippy feel going. This may ultimately lack finesse in the end, even after cellaring, but has some guts and character for sure. Best from 2015 through 2026.

Attractive nose with animal notes, mint and dark fruit. Wonderful freshness at the beginning of the palate, then it builds with a huge structure and multi-layered texture. Long and very classy. Great potential but needs a couple of years to soften the tannins. Best wine in a long time. Try after 2016.

Using 51% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc and a small portion Petit Verdot, the wine opens with licorice, blackberry and cassis scents. Medium/full bodied, the wine ends with a cherry, chocolate and fennel finish. 88-90

Deep purple. Seductive bouquet of cassis and blackberry, with complex richness. Lots of charm on the palate, finishing with fairly intense fruit; could even gain another point. After irregular quality, Larmande seems to be finding itself again.

Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with a lilac sheen on the rim. Seductive bouquet of cassis and blackberry, showing complex richness. Displays plenty of charm on the palate and finishes again with fairly intense fruit aromatics. After uneven quality, Larmande seems to have found its stride again. Could even notch up another point. (17/20). 12: Medium-dark garnet with a violet shimmer. Compote-like bouquet mixed with smoky notes and clove; not slender, but on the nose somewhat more modest than other 2012s. Elegant palate, already surprisingly approachable, medium finish. Didn’t capture everything the vintage had to offer! A gastronomic, pleasure-driven Saint-Emilion.

Plump, fruity, sweet bouquet, blackberry jam, tobacco. Velvety palate with medium, opulent fruit, fine sandy tannins, bony structure, dry finish. 17/20 2016 - 2028

Subtle, supple wine, interesting and promising. Very fine, precise bouquet of red fruits.

The colour is dark and the nose is rather reserved. A dense, tight wine with lovely fruit, still very closed.

A superb bouquet marked by notes of chocolate and cassis. Smooth on the attack, the wine also shows the power of its tannins. They are compact, elegant, and in perfect harmony with the tension of its acidic structure. The result is a harmonious wine, ready to be enjoyed. It is at the beginning of its life; in other words, it still has many good years ahead. Taste it regularly to follow its evolution. A delight!

The nose is fruity, racy and offers lovely freshness, power and an almost strict character. It reveals notes of slightly jammy blackcurrant, very ripe blackberry and, more lightly, violet, combined with hints of crushed black berries, crushed gariguette strawberry, as well as very subtle touches of licorice, cardamom, salinity and caramelization. The palate is fruity, balanced and offers lovely definition, indulgence, very fine creaminess, along with a little concentration, freshness and salinity. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crushed/jammy wild blackcurrant, crushed blackberry and, more lightly, crushed woodland strawberry, combined with small touches of licorice and cardamom, as well as discreet hints of undergrowth and spices/cedar.

Logo on the cork: CB A particularly flavorful wine on the mid-palate. The structure, both tender and sapid, stretches out on the finish. Very good.

88-90 On the firm, dry side, with more tannins than fruit, this is a wood-laden, extracted wine. It is tough, with a bitter edge.