Bellevue's debut vintage under the collaboration of Bordeaux wunderkind Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt is a whopper. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare, this wine boasts an opaque inky purple color as well as a glorious perfume of blackberries and blueberries underlaid with a striking minerality, full body, high tannin, abundant glycerin, concentration, and muscle, and a 40-second finish. Will it shut down? I kept a bottle open eight days without any oxidation. A tour de force! Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020. Robert Parker