Tour du Pin 2009

Pierre Lurton, the director of Cheval Blanc, has completely resurrected this estate since it was acquired by the owners of Cheval Blanc. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc grown in clay and gravel soils, the 2009 La Tour du Pin is the finest wine I have ever tasted from this property. It reveals terrific fruit intensity along with a full-bodied unctuosity, great purity, sweet tannins, and a heady, long finish. The alcohol level must be more than 14% given the glycerin content and the wine's thickness. It should drink well for 15+ years. (Tasted once.) Drink 2010-2025.

Robert Parker added an asterisk to this wine score to signify that it is a wine he considers has the finest potential of all the offerings he has ever tasted from this estate in nearly 32 years of barrel tasting samples in Bordeaux.

This wine from the Cheval Blanc team gets better every year. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. Very dark crimson. Definitively juicy nose. Very racy and polished. Nice savoury note. A little bit of modern glamour. Chewy end. Altogether pretty confident. Beefy. Bravo! Date tasted 30th March 2010. Drink 2015-2025.

Round, smooth and very elegant. Pretty red-berry fruit. The Cheval Blanc team seem to have hit the right note. Drink 2014-2024.