I’ve been dipping into some Pauillac 2010s over the last few weeks. They’re a mixed bag:
Château Pibran
Tried twice - not much change since 2022: a very classically styled Pauillac, with the usual cassis and cigar box aromas and quite a thick mouthful of cassis and blackberry. It is a little strict and straight-laced, lacking a bit of dash and zip but provides a very agreeable glass of traditional four square claret. Decanted for four hours, which made no noticeable difference, but there is potential improvement I think. Not really affected by the vintage, nor the context, a quintessential Pauillac, and at 28 euros, a fair price. 90 pts
Château Pedesclaux
Quite plump but refined, good body and length, plenty of blackberry and blackcurrant. Perhaps a little more lactic than I would have preferred, with more than a hint of coffee beans on the nose, but still very classically built. You do sense the vintage, but they seem to have resisted the context sufficiently to make a ripe, juicy Pauillac, but nothing overdone and there’s plenty of elegance to it. It’s not as good as the 2016, but the signs of progress of the new team are already apparent. I think it will improve further in another two years, but with a long decant it’s already drinking well. I went out and bought six more on the strength of this one, as for 37€, it’s good value. 91 pts
Château Lynch-Moussas
Enjoyable but slightly frustrating, compared to the 2016 or even the 2012. Quite straight-laced and strict, like the Pibran. The best aspect is the nose, a really enticingly fruity blend of blackcurrant and blueberry, with herbs and vanilla, which makes the rather muted taste all the more annoying. Yes, the usual blackcurrant and blackberry, but in a minor key. It could be a bad patch or a bad bottle, but purely on the basis of this one, not as good as either Pibran or Pédésclaux. To be revisited, because I’m quite hopeful of improvement, but for now, 89 pts Even at the level of this bottle, 25€ was a fair price.
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
Dear oh dear. I have no idea what the others’ ABV levels were, but if they were higher than usual it didn’t show. The GPD however wasn’t remotely shy about showing off its 14.5%. Quite fresh notes of blackcurrant and and blackberry at first on the nose, before a very powerful whiff of prunes and something else rather stewed. In the mouth, it’s certainly full of ripe fruit, with oodles of blackcurrants and blackberries, but then it slips into a rather syrupy middle section featuring quite a strong taste of figs, followed by an unpleasantly hot finish. Not my cup of tea at all.
This was the only wine of the four to really show the vintage and the RMP-is-King context - he liked this at release, praising its “considerable flesh, fat and succulence”. Probably around 25€ at release and if you like this sort of wine, perfectly decent value. NR
So yes, a mixed bag, but with one exception, really quite promising. I’ll add more notes when I open other Pauillac 2010s.