Proprietor Jean-Philippe Janoueix has hit a bull’s-eye with both vintages of La Confession. The 2010, which is a larger production wine given his acquisition of a large vineyard near both Lucia and Fonroque, has turned out to be a blend of 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc that tips the scales at a boisterous 14.7% natural alcohol. Production is now up to approximately 2,600 cases. This is a sensational wine that I had on three separate occasions with identical results. Opaque purple, with an exquisite nose of blueberry liqueur, black raspberries, licorice, graphite, and forest floor, the wine has fabulous fruit, a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, full-bodied opulence, and a stunning finish. There is plenty of tannin, but I suspect the extravagant fruit and glycerin this wine possesses will make it approachable in its exuberant youth, yet carry it nicely for 15 or more years.