From Helene Garcin, this blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot displays classic tobacco leaf and smoky barbecue notes along with rich black currants and crushed rocks in a medium to full-bodied, seductive, attractively up-front style. Some Asian plum sauce is also noticeable in this complex, evolved and delicious wine, which can be drunk over the next 10-15 years. It is a sleeper of the vintage.
Tasted at the Chateau Barde Haut in Saint Emilion. The 2010 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot with around 40 to 45% new oak. The nose is mild-mannered, nicely defined, polite Pessac you might say, with well-behaved blackberry, raspberry and cedar aromas that blossom in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It is very classic in style, very well balanced with a fresh and very focused finish. One of the most elegant Haut-Bergey wines to date. Tasted November 2012.
Almost cheesy nose. And the fruit does not seem as fresh as most, as though it were made a little more oxidatively than some? Drying tannins on the finish.
From the same owners as Pomerol's Clos l'Eglise and St Emilion's Barde Haut, this is a Graves produced in the modern style. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, with a touch of Malbec and Petit Verdot. This is a Pessac-Leognan made in the modern style. Quite strongly oak with forward, concentrated fruit. Sweetish and warm.
The nose is closed and the fruit on the palate is held back by firm rather aggressive tannins. Sweeter flavours come through in the middle but the tannic firmness tends to take over and shorten the finish.
Rich tobacco leaf cassis nose, good depth of fruit, a certain greenness that needs to blend out, but good medium term. Drink 2014-20.
2010: This estate is well-worth following given the fact that is always a realistic value and in most top vintages an over-achiever as well. Owned by the Garcin family, the 2010 Haut-Bergey (from a vineyard near Haut-Bailly) is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot (unusual for this area). Possessing a deep ruby/purple hue as well as notes of creosote, charcoal, tobacco leaf, black currants and cherries, this sleeper of the vintage is opulent and luscious with a multilayered texture. Surprisingly forward with excellent freshness and depth, no hard edges, and a heady finish, it can be enjoyed over the next 10-12 years.
Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London. The nose is very closed at the moment, although there is certainly good fruit concentration here. The palate is rounded with smooth with lush red fruits, fine acidity but just missing a little complexity and depth towards the finish. Very well crafted and sure to improve with bottle age as it develops more personality. Tasted October 2011.
A blend of 65% and 70% Merlot, the Haut-Bergey 2010 has a very attractive bouquet, very pure with blackberry sorbet, raspberry and wild strawberry. Good definition. The palate is full-bodied with a svelte, silky smooth texture, good acidity, very harmonious with admirable purity. Caressing on the finish. I think that this has great potential. Tasted April 2011.
