The 2010 Mathilde is 100% Merlot in 2010, and the alcohol is at 15%. The wine is a blockbuster, a delicious, hedonistic St.-Emilion fruit bomb with loads of blackberry, raspberry, black currant and cherry notes intermixed with some cedar wood, forest floor and a touch of toast. The interesting thing about Mathilde is that it is bottled and put on the market much earlier than most of the serious wines of Bordeaux. The Mathilde is probably best consumed in its first decade of life.

Aromas of blueberries and hazelnuts come through beautifully. Full body, with super refined tannins and a long, long finish. A beauty. So wonderful now but better in 2017.

Offers fresh, lively fruit, with almost bouncy blueberry, plum and boysenberry notes rushing out, while briary tannins and a licorice snap edge catch up on the finish. Not huge, but with good energy. Drink now through 2024. –JM