97+ An absolutely prodigious, massively concentrated Saint-Emilion is the 2010 Peby Faugeres, which is 100% old vine Merlot, from a single parcel of south-facing limestone soils, brought up all in new oak. This beauty’s deep purple, almost blue, color is followed by a dense, backward bouquet of black and blue fruits, scorched earth, graphite, chocolatey oak, and an incredible minerality. More backward, dense, and brooding compared to the sexy 2009, hide bottle for another 3-4 years and enjoy over the following 20-25 years. It’s an awesome wine.

Peby Faugeres is produced from 100% Merlot and aged in 100% new oak for 18 months. Production hovers close to 1000 cases. Deep purple in color jammy black fruit espresso licorice and spice this thick powerful dense dark wine is stuffed to the brim with decadent ripe fruit licorice and chocolate that defines voluptuous in a wine. Unctuous and long the wine ends with licorice chocolate spicy plum and jammy berry liqueur.

2010 Faugeres Cuvee Speciale Peby: Made from 100% Merlot grown in a special parcel that was cropped at an astonishingly low 20 hectoliters per hectare the 2010 possesses the same alcoholic clout as the regular cuvee but is more concentrated with a richer and larger scaled personality. The wine's dense opaque purple color is accompanied by a glorious bouquet of graphite blackberry and blueberry liqueur white chocolate and vanillin. With crisp acidity massive tannins and a seamless layered multidimensional mouthfeel it pushes the limit of extraction and richness but everything comes together in the end. It should drink well for 20-25+ years.

Planted to 100% merlot. From the oldest 9-hectare portion of the Faugeres vineyard. Vines are 45 years old located on the southeast facing slopes in brown limestone soils. Hand-harvested between Oct. 7th and 13th. Yields in 2010 were 20 hls/ha. This opaquely colored wine shows distinct ripe black cherries and exotic spices on the nose. Polished vanilla oak notes on the palate and finely grained tannins to go along with a long finish. This is a very concentrated wine. Some 3-5 years would help open up this wine and can be enjoyed over the following 10 to 15 years. Stephan von Neipperg and Michel Rolland consult.