Chateau Marquis d'Alesme 2012

88-90 Points, Robert Parker

"This medium-bodied wine exhibits a dense purple color as well as a sweet bouquet of creme de cassis, blueberries and spring flowers with the oak clearly pushed to the background. It is a major revelation for the vintage. This cuvee has been so disappointing for so long that it was shocking to taste a wine of such remarkable quality emerge from this classified growth estate.

This is the finest wine I have ever tasted from the Marquis d'Alesme Becker estate and its relatively new owner, Marjolain De Coninck. This 37-acre property has underperformed for about as long as I've been tasting in Bordeaux, nearly 35 years. However, in 2012, yields were cut to 35 hectoliters per hectare and the final blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc hit 13.5% natural alcohol."