2010 Nicholas Allen Carte Blanche Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
(includes 10% petit verdot): Good bright, deep ruby. Sexy crushed blackberry, blueberry, minerals, bitter chocolate and violet on the youthfully medicinal nose. The palate is dominated by medicinal black fruit (from the petit verdot component?) and bitter chocolate flavors, yet comes across as broad, sweet and tactile, with dense, chocolatey tannins giving the wine a solid underpinning for further development in bottle. An excellent showing today.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Another powerful, young wine, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is incredibly dense and virtually impenetrable. Blue and black fruit, grilled herbs, licorice, new leather, menthol and tobacco flow through to an incisive finish layered with graphite and crushed rocks. Today, the 2010 is cool and implosive, suggesting it needs at least another few years to come together. The addition of 10% Petit Verdot seems to give the wine some of its brooding personality.
Another powerful, young wine, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is incredibly dense and virtually impenetrable. Blue and black fruit, grilled herbs, licorice, new leather, menthol and tobacco flow through to an incisive finish layered with graphite and crushed rocks. Today, the 2010 is cool and implosive, suggesting it needs at least another few years to come together. The addition of 10% Petit Verdot seems to give the wine some of its brooding personality. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028. Carte Blanche is a partnership between proprietor Nicholas Allen and winemaker Luc Morlet. Although a new project started only in 2008, all of the wines I have tasted so far have been impressive. The 2010s are no exception. I also revisited the 2009s, which are just as impressive as they were last year. dj@carteblanchewine.com