(48% cabernet sauvignon, 43% merlot and 9% cabernet franc) Good full red-ruby. Complex aromas of black raspberry, mocha, smoke, licorice, minerals and flint, plus a whiff of caramel. Juicy, spicy and penetrating, with lovely cut and intensity. Leaner than Haut-Brion today, but this is essentially a supple wine, despite some evident minerality and the fact that the cabernet sauvignon component here actually had a slightly higher pH than the merlot. Finishes with rather fine tannins. This is actually a hair higher in acidity and lower in pH than the Haut-Brion 2007. - 90-92 points Stephen Tanzer

Plummy and damson fruit on the nose, with autumnal, smoky and meaty notes and again an intensity that underlines the quality. Rich curranty fruit, bacon, animal and spices on the palate and terrific persistance. A mineral backbone runs through the wine too. This is clearly a wine of its soil, very fine. In scale it is tight and compact at present but clearly has the depth and weight of fruit to develop beautifully over time. 36%of the production in the Grand Vin 43M:48CS:9CF