Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2010

100 points Robert Parker: "The wine is ethereal. From its dense purple color to its incredibly subtle but striking aromatics that build incrementally, offering up a spectacular smorgasbord of aromas ranging from charcoal and camphor to black currant and blueberry liqueur and spring flowers, this wine’s finesse, elegant yet noble power and authority come through in a compelling fashion. It is full-bodied, but that’s only apparent in the aftertaste, as the wine seems to float across the palate with remarkable sweetness, harmony, and the integration of all its component parts – alcohol, tannin, acidity, wood, etc. This prodigious Haut-Brion is hard to compare to another vintage, at least right now, but it should have 50 to 75 years of aging potential. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2065+. (Feb 2013)"

100 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc). Intense and concentrated blackberry and cassis fruits, with olive tapenade and sweet red liquorice. This is muscular and opulent, seriously structured but with beautiful black truffle and squid ink notes that I find more usually in vintages like 2010 or 2016 - a suggestion of truly ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. The generosity of the vintage comes through in cinnamon and cumin spice, overlaid with incense and crushed rose petals. Exceptional. 100% new oak for ageing, Jean-Philippe Delmas director. Alcohol 14.5%. Drink: 2024-2050. (9/22/24)"

100 points Neal Martin (Wine Journal): "Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Haut-Brion 2010 is a stunning wine that provoked a few perfect scores around the table. It is blessed with a compelling bouquet with superb precision and focus: wonderful mineralite, slightly conservative and withdrawn and yet displaying immense clarity and terroir expression. With continued aeration there is just a hint of the sea surfacing and one never detects the 14.6% alcohol. The palate is backward, tannic and broody, but immensely powerful and multi-layered. This is a multi-dimensional wine, very long and persistency in the mouth with a bewilderingly complex finish. Tasted January 2014. (3/30/14)"

100 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Deep dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening, dark berry nuances with chocolate undertones, ripe plums, a hint of dried fruit, delicate caramel and honey, a hint of dried herbs in the background. Elegant, silky and soft, extract-sweet texture, delicate and light-footed, you can hardly feel any of the inherent power of this wine, fine nougat on the finish, seamless style, very long-lasting, great potential. (Feb 2019)"

100 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Intense, deep aromas of earth, burning wood, truffle, hot bricks, tar, licorice, espresso, smoke and blackberry. There is an incredible sense of purity in the fruit. The wine is rich, concentrated and multifaceted. Each layer of the finish delivers something new, making it one of those rare wines you want to keep going back to. Frightfully expensive, but if you have the money, coupled with the patience to age the wine for more than a decade, and probably closer to 20 years, along with a cold cellar to keep it in, this is a wine for the ages. The finish kept building and expanding for close to one minute. (May 2013)"

100 points (20/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "The 2010 is one of the most modern wines in the history of this premier cru classé. It boasts a fantastic body, full-bodied, rich and with an XXL version of opulent fruit. (Jan 2014)"

99 points Wine Spectator: "[$1,200 list] Sappy, tongue-coating pastis, blackberry coulis and loganberry fruit starts this huge wine off, followed by a parade of licorice snap, violet, tar, black tea, roasted alder, wood spice and steeped black cherry fruit notes. A beam of pure cassis drives through this, and the finish pulls everything together with a mouthwatering brambly edge that should soften slowly over time. A riveting display of brawny power, unbridled energy and high-level terroir. Best from 2020 through 2040. (3/31/13)"

99 points Tim Atkin, MW (2012).

98+ points Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar): "Good full ruby-red. Complex, expressive, very showy aromas and flavors of cassis, menthol, smoke and tobacco complemented by violet, milk chocolate and sweet spices. Fat, sweet and concentrated in the mouth, with an almost liqueur-like ripeness to its highly concentrated, palate-saturating flavors. Finishes ripe and savory, with huge but plush tannins and lingering notes of blueberry and minerals. (Jul 2013)"

98 points Decanter: "46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc. Detailed and intricate scents of red fruit and warm stone and leather. The ripeness is perfectly balanced and there's a freshness and vividness here, yet a gratifying hint of torrefaction, too. Extracts, acidity and tannins form a seamless, gentle whole. Prodigiously capacious yet majestically ordered. Drinking Window: 2015-2035. (Dec 2015)"

98 points and 'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "A firm and serious wine, complex and complicated, one of the finest wines from 2010 vintage. It has a rich undertow of black fruits, while the tannins dominate at this stage. To add to the powerful range of flavors, the wine has an edge of severity that bodes well for its long-term future. (May 2013)"

97 points James Suckling: "This is very spicy with dried mushroom aromas with dark fruits and plum undertones. Sweet tobacco as well. This is full-bodied, with lots of tannins that are chewy and firm. This is muscular for HB and flexing it. Try in 2020. (2/2/13)"