Score: 91+/100
Château Tour de Marbuzet belongs since 1981 to Henri Duboscq, also owner of the famous Château Haut-Marbuzet, both on the Saint-Estèphe appellation of Médoc in the Bordeaux region.
The estate is quite small for the area with 5 hectares of vines (12 acres) planted at 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Franc.
The winery picks its grapes at a rather high level of maturity, and gets through long periods of maceration and aging in wine barrel.
As we know 2010 vintage was broadly acknowledged as being of exceptional quality in the Bordeaux region.
But how good is this 2010 Chateau Tour de Marbuzet?
The answer is in the tasting notes:
A rather dark color, a-little-evolved red, with hues of orange yet still some purple in it.
The nose is typical of wines made from ripe Bordeaux grapes, dominated by savory licorice aromas, nutmeg, a touch of vanilla a ripe berry fruits that stay discrete.
It has a very complex, charming and elegant nose where many layers are revealed one after the other every time you sniff the wine, without having a clear winning dominant note.
Some evolution is undoubtedly perceptible at this stage with leathery tones. Though the whole still feels fresh, a little fruity, and more importantly very lively and spicy.
One the palate, the wine appears utterly composed, straight, smooth, dense, with smooth tannins that dry up slightly to the finish. But the marks of a ripe vintage are there with a great level of tannic maturity, and plenty of ripe fruity characters that actually feel like they need another few years to be revealed.
It is packed full with exuberant and savory spices: cloves, licorice again, nutmeg, some black pepper.
Overall
A very well made Bordeaux wine with somewhat of an absolute typicity for its origin in the North Medoc: character and power yet perfectly controlled elegance and composure.
On a dry savory overall feel, it banks on its dense and smooth yet characterful tannic structure, its ripe fruit characters, its stunning complexity and utter balance to remind you how composed and elegant a great old-world wine can be (to be perfectly honest, it brought back memories of tastings I had of Chateau Latour in the controlled power it displays, though not quite in the same league in terms of concentration and refinement).
The complex spices character is a clearly outstanding and rather unique in this wine! Whoever blended this wine, has crafted here an exemplary masterpiece of blending.
The absolute rating is a 91+, clearly very near a solid 92. If the rating was based on hedonistic enjoyment the wine provides though, thanks to its impeccable balance and great typicity, it could be much higher.
A wine then to experience, since you’re getting a feel for some of the greatest complexity and balance the Bordeaux region can deliver, for a fraction of the price you’d put on first growth example…
When to drink?
The aging potential here is clear, since the fruit characters are strong, and the balance is so great. Yet the wine already has a much-enjoyable sweet-savory balance right now, and it gives the feeling the leathery characters that are quite present and pleasant at this stage might actually become a little too dominant rather rapidly unless your fond of those.
Great to drink now (2016) though will certainly age well up to 2025 if you’re after more evolution notes.
Wine & Food Pairing
Let recommend this recipe that matches solid Bordeaux wines wonderfully, developped by a Best Sommelier in the world Francois Chartier himself: Poached pork belly, coconut and black pudding vinaigrette, black pudding crumble
Please let me know your thoughts