Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel 2010

Opening up considerably since I tasted it from barrel, the 2010 Esprit de Beaucastel is a superb blend of 45% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 21% Syrah and 4% Counoise that was aged all in foudre. It delivers loads of ripe blackberry, plum, licorice, roasted herbs and hints of flowers to go with a medium to full-bodied, rich and mouth-filling profile on the palate. Textured, layered and rich, with a firm underlying core of tannin, this superbly balanced beauty should be given 2-3 years of bottle age and then consumed over the following decade. Drink 2015-2025. Score - 94. (Jeb Dunnuck, erobertparker.com, Aug. 2013)