Château La Garde 2010 Wine Review

Château La Garde 2010

Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux A.C., France

Community Score:90/100

Community Reviews: 17

Add My Review

Price: $51.95

Drink: 2016-2022

Bottle size: 750 ml

Alcohol: 12.5%

Sweetness: Extra Dry

Wine Type: Red Wine

Winery: Château La Garde

Agent: Philippe Dandurand Wines Ltd.

Natalie's Score: 97/100

A spectacular Bordeaux in every sense: top-drawer complexity, layering, balance, depth and length on the finish. This is the flagship wine of this house, and it declassifies 50% of production to maintain incredibly high standards vintage after vintage. The vines are planted in all the proto-typical Bordeaux soils: gravel, clay and limestone. The current owners purchased this chateau in 1990. On top of all this, the 2010 vintage was a terrific one so this is a great wine for your cellar still, and decant 1-2 hours when you open it. Dark fruit and smoke but not overwhelmed with oak -- no cover-ups here just pure mastery. Pair with a rare steak. Absolutely superb, especially for the price. Wow.

Food pairings: rare grilled steak, game roasts, hard cheeses.

Best Beef Wine

This Château La Garde 2010 was reviewed on November 11, 2017 by Natalie MacLean

More Vintages: 2015 2014 2012 2000

Add New Vintage

Pricing & Stock Information

LCBO
682617
$51.95
Check Stock

BCLDB
184937
$58.00
Check Stock

SAQ
11617170
$46.00
Check Stock

Reviews and Ratings

Andrew Bernardo rated this wine as 96/100 with the following review:

This wine is bananagrams. Full-throttle smoke, tar, Kenya AA coffee, black cherry, blackberry, warm spice, graphite, dark cocoa, scorched Applewood and pie crust. 96 points. (www.ottawawinejournal.com)

Jane Staples - Certified Sommelier rated this wine as 95/100 with the following review:

A blend of 50% Cab Sauv and 50% Merlot, deep ruby and aromatic with layered flavours of cassis, ripe raspberry, plum, dark chocolate, mocha, mint and a touch of smoke. Finely balanced, satiny smooth, with elegant mint finale. The winemaker calls it the "synthesis of Bordeaux", because it reflects so exquisitely all the elements of the exceptional terroir of France's Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux A.C.
Available at the LCBO in the fall of 2017, so look for it and grab one bottle to drink now and one to cellar for up to 20 years.
Tasted April 2017

Pamela Chiles rated this wine as 95/100 with the following review:

This gorgeous wine hit high on my want scale (almost over to the need side). Complex and exotic with serious tannins, great structure, heaps of cherry, blackberry, plum, bitter couverture chocolate, hint of cigar and top notes of a spicy-floral nature (freesia?) Really fabulous, especially at the price.

Lynn van der Linde - Certified Sommelier rated this wine as 93/100 with the following review:

Winemaker Frédéric Bonneffous will tell you that the Pessac-Léognan region produces the best Cabernet Sauvignon from the Right Bank, and the best Merlot from the Left Bank of the Gironde river in Bordeaux. And with 2010 as the stellar year of the decade for Bordeaux, this Château La Garde really does demonstrate the best that Bordeaux has to offer. Frédéric purposefully crafts this blend to have a more new world feel by using older oak barrels, allowing the fruit to come forward on the palate, some weight and intensity mid-palate, with a long juicy finish.
Worth the $50 price tag.
Tasted April 2017.

Matt Steeves - Certified Sommelier rated this wine as 93/100 with the following review:

An exceptional Bordeaux from the outstanding 2010 vintage. Chateau La Garde from Bordeaux's Pessac-Leognan region shows rich and concentrated dried fruits, with sweet spice and dark berries packed to the brim in this Super Tuscan-ish red blend. Full bodied, beautifully balanced with great integrated texture making this a great choice to enjoy now or cellar for 10-20 years and enjoy its evolution. Tasted April 2017. 93 points. Matt Steeves - www.quercusvino.ca

Sylvain Segard rated this wine as 93/100 with the following review:

This superb wine has an opaque black robe and displays a complex, smoky aroma with noted of cassis, black cherries, plums, coffee, and dark chocolate. And, whilst the palate echoes this complexity, this dry full-bodied wine has dominant flavours of ripe plums and wood smoke. The tannins are elegant and very well integrated with the long juicy and minty acidity. I can't wait to taste this wine again in the next decade to see how it will evolve. Score 93. (S.Segard, Reviewed April 13, 2017)

Gwen Barton rated this wine as 93/100 with the following review:

Full bodied , perfectly balanced Bordeaux with lovely texture and layers. Dark cherry, plum, chocolate, sweet tobacco and floral aromas. Dark fruit and cocoa continues on the palate with slight smokiness. Tannins have some grippiness on the finish but will soften wonderfully after a few years in the cellar. Pair with steak and goat cheese salad. Tasted April 2017

Simon Chen rated this wine as 92/100 with the following review:

Tasted at the Dourthe luncheon - Top 3 wines of the tasting today. Very balanced fruit and acid and gives rich yet elegant texture. Medium+ body and long finish. A great wine from a great vintage. It'll be a pleasure to enjoy even after 10 years.

Greg Hughes rated this wine as 92/100 with the following review:

A serious Bordeaux that is alive and kicking, after seven years of life. It still has another decade, under the right conditions. It comes from the Pessac-Leognan (more or less the choicier portion of Graves, up the Gironde Estuary.
Deep garnet, with a purple rim.
Aromas of tobacco, plum, cassis, blackberry, olive, and cherry.
Dark, brooding, and delicious. Cigar, plum, blackberry and cassis jam. Smokey aromas from the oak, but they are absolutely not out of place.
It's full bodied and carroes a lot of heft. 2010 was a very rewarding vintage for winemakers in Bordeaux. Basically everything went right at harvest time. It's a great wine from a great vintage. Pair it with veal, lamb, or something else as complex as this wine.

Jennifer Havers - WSET Level 3 rated this wine as 92/100 with the following review:

A beautiful wine worthy of a spectacular steak. Lots of smoke and dark cherry along with a hint of mocha on the nose. Full bodied and smooth, tannins are medium+ but mellow with decanting. Enjoy this wine now or keep it for 5-10 more years. Will be available from LCBO in Vintages this Fall (2017).

Melanie Aubert rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

This Bordeaux blend from the Pessac-Léognan appellation takes merlot from the right bank and cabernet sauvignon grapes from the left bank to create the perfect synthesis of a Bordeaux wine. With beautiful aromas of black cherry, smoke, roses, chocolate and hickory, the medium tannins could help this wine sit for another 3-4 years in the cellar. Pair with a juicy steak off the bbq and roasted vegetables. Look for this one in Vintages in one of this year's fall releases.

Get the whole story at https://winingwithmel.com/2017/04/16/intro-to-bordeaux-dourthe/

Linda Mertes WSET 2 rated this wine as 62/100 with the following review:

An excellent example of terroir from the Left Bank, a Cabernet Sauvignon- led Bordeaux with aromas of dark berries and evidence of ageing in the notes of vanilla and smoke. A dense, opaque wine with black fruit on the palate. Medium tannins and well-rounded acidity. Earthy and the complexity leads to the ageing potential. Pair with red meats, roasted poultry or savoury stews.

Chateau La Garde (2010) is layered black fruit, plum compote, orange zest and anise spice on the palate beautifully balanced with refreshing acidity. Made from biodynamic grapes, this is the flagship wine of this house, and it declassifies 50% of production to maintain incredibly high standards vintage after vintage. - Community Wine Reviews

2 Members would buy this wine again

Leah
Lyse

If you liked the Château La Garde 2010, you might also like these wines:

Add bottle and/or label shots for this wine
Wineries and agents: Add notes for this wine
Find this wine in other stores

Recipes for Château La Garde 2010

Click here for recipes

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO

PAIR WINE
& FOOD?

Join me in a free online video class to learn the secrets to perfect pairings.

SAVE MY SEAT!

Wine of the Week

As featured on

Foss Marai Sparkling Wine
Prosecco 2023,
Valdobbiadene, Prosecco D.O.C.G. ...

Natalie MacLean

Natalie MacLean offers North America's most popular online wine and food pairing classes. She was named the World's Best Drinks Writer at the World Food Media Awards in Australia.

Natalie has published two books with Random House, both selected as one of Amazon's Best Books of the Year.

Join 335,061 thirsty wine lovers who get access to all of her wine reviews by becoming a member of her site. Take a free online pairing class with her here.

FEEL LOST IN THE

LCBO?

Know the wines you want before you even get to the store with my wine reviews. Join now. It's free.

Red, White & Drunk All Over

Best Books of the Year

Natalie MacLean writes about wine with a sensuous obsession... and often laugh-out-loud funny... Terrific.

Rex Pickett, Sideways

Ms. MacLean is the disarming Everywoman. She loves wine, loves drinking ... ultimately, it's a winning formula.

Eric Asimov, The New York Times

GOT A SMARTPHONE?

Access my reviews on mobile with the bar code scanner.

GET NAT'S APP

Unquenchable: A Tipsy Search

Best Books of the Year

Natalie MacLean is a new force in the wine writing world ‐ a feisty North American answer to Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. She can write beautifully about wine.

The Financial Times of London

There are very few people in the wine world who "get it" and Natalie is one of those who brings more fun to a buttoned-up and stodgy game.

Gary Vaynerchuck, Wine Library TV

Starting a Wine Cellar?

Expert advice for all budgets

From wine racks to underground caves, insider tips on size and space, number of bottles, ideal conditions and reputable resources. learn more

Welcome Back!Sign in here:

Not Registered?Become one of our thirsty clan 335,061 strong:

Château La Garde 2010 Wine Review

Natalie's Score: 97/100

Pricing & Stock Information

Reviews and Ratings