[88 Wine Advocate] A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, this wine displays deep black currant fruit along with some damp earth and forest notes intermixed with roasted herbs, licorice, and a touch of oak. The 2010 could well turn out to be the best this estate has made in nearly a generation. Drink it over the next 20-15 years.[88 James Suckling] Lots of currants and wood still here. A little tight and disjointed but should come together nicely. Better in 2015.Winery's Notes: When tasted, Lilian Ladouys always reveals a rich and crisp structure with ripe tannins and refined oak which melts into an explosion of fruit. It has the opulence and length of a Saint-Estphe fine wine. Thanks to the appellations limestone-clay subsoils, its power is balanced out by a wonderful sensation of freshness.Our top wine is matured for an average of 14 months in our superb barrel store (40-60% new oak depending on the vintage). Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot make up the majority of the blend, with the proportions varying from one year to the next. They are supplemented by Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The estates wines go into gravity-fed vats and undergo vinification with a partially gravity-based system, which is more sensitive to the integrity and subtleties of the grapes and the wine.
