2010 Carbonnieux Blanc, Graves (Pre-Arrival)

SKU #1066799 93-94 points James Suckling

"Wow. Best wine ever from here. Superb with intense mineral character and loads of fruit too. Full and rich, with an ultra long finish. (4/ 2011)

93 points Wine Enthusiast

A delicate, classically textured white wine, this is a pure combination of apricot and lemon fruits with crisp, delicious acidity despite the wood aging. A great success in its restrained style, this should age well. (3/ 2013)

91 points Wine Spectator

Very bright and engaging, with a chamomile note leading the way, followed by quinine, lemon zest and white peach flavors that bounce through the lively finish. Drink now through 2015. (3/ 2013)

87-90 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Pale straw. Musky aromas of tangerine, lemon drop, butter, honey, and oatmeal. Ripe and fairly fat in the mouth, but with lively acidity framing the citrus and herbal flavors. The long finish features building minerality. A very good Carbonnieux, but I find it to be a little softer and less precise than some past vintages; it just may need a little time to come together. Certainly, there's lovely density to the fruit presence. Winemaker Romain Racher told me that the property needed to bring in a second picking team to help at harvest time, because they deemed it necessary to pick the sauvignon blanc very quickly in order to avoid a large drop in acidity levels. (8/ 2011)