Wine Advocate 87 / 100 byNeal Martinthe1/1/2013 Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Camensac '09 has a generous bouquet of blackcurrant, cassis and cedar that is nicely defined, pretty and almost Margaux-like. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of chewiness on the entry. Grippy, extracted wood tannins. This is quite unresolved although there is good weight on the finish. This needs another couple of years in bottle. Tasted January 2013.
Jamessuckling.com 90 / 100 byJames Sucklingthe8/1/2012 Bright, soft and fruity with plum and currant character, with full to medium body and a chewy finish. Muscular.
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar 88 / 100 byStephen Tanzerthe7/31/2012 (a 55/45 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot): Good dark red. Plum, redcurrant, mocha and tobacco on the nose, plus hints of dusty herbs and pepper. Sweet and smooth, with harmonious acidity giving shape to the round mid-palate. Finishes with solid tannins and firm flavors of currant and licorice. Accessible now but has the life for 12 to 15 years of evolution.
Wine Advocate 89 / 100 byRobert Parkerthe2/29/2012 One of the finest, if not the very best Camensac I have ever tasted, this wine possesses loads of black currants, black cherries, cedar wood and spice box as well as a bit of earth and underbrush. It is medium to full-bodied, very generously endowed and quite long. Anticipated maturity: now-2025.
Le Figaro 87-89 / 100 byBernard Burtschythe6/30/2010 Robe sombre. Nez fruits rouges. En bouche, souple et rond, très fluide, mais assez harmonieux.
La Revue du Vin de France 16,5-17,5 / 20 the5/31/2010 Le style du vin évolue vers davantage de densité et de puissance. Depuis quelques millésimes, la propriété a bien progressé. Ce 2009, issu d'un assemblage 55% cabernet-sauvignon et 45% merlot, a considérablement affiné sa texture. On perçoit une très belle maturité de fruit et le côté rustique que l'on trouvait souvent dans les vins de la propriété a disparu. La finale fait preuve d'une très belle netteté.
Le Point 14,5-15 / 20 byJacques Dupontthe5/6/2010 Fruits noirs, merlot mûr, un peu sanguin, encre, poivre, bouche bien fondue, épicée, tendue, serrée, puissant, assez touffu, pas très charmeur mais droit. O=2015 G=15 ans
WeinWisser 17 / 20 byRené Gabrielthe4/30/2010 Dunkles Granat. Relativ schlankes Bouquet mit floralen Noten, Waldhimbeeren und würzigem Cabernet-Touch, schwarze Kirschentöne. Im Gaumen mittelgewichtig, feine Muskeln, legt schöne Fleischportionen auf die Zunge. Auf Camensac ist man wieder auf einem guten Weg. 2016–2032
TAST 16 / 20 by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2010 Vin légèrement anisé, tendu, moins d’étoffe au départ que La Tour Carnet, tanin un rien plus sec. Vin puissant, énergique mais pour le moment un peu plus simple dans son expression que d’autres.
Wine Advocate 87-89 / 100 byNeal Martinthe4/30/2010 Tasted at a negociant. Ripe blackberries and dark cherries on the nose that is tight at first and takes time to unfurl. Good purity and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with quite thick, chewy tannins. This is a Camensac that is trying very hard, so what it lacks in natural grace it makes up for in sheer effort and brute force. Sturdy tannins on the finish, but there is sufficient fruit here to back it up. Not a subtle wine, but enjoyable. A second sample showed a little jamminess on the nose. Tasted March 2010.
Decanter Magazine 16 / 20 bySteven Spurrierthe4/30/2010 Deep purple red, slightly smoky blackcurrant nose, well-extracted fruit with firmness and elegant Médoc finish. Drink 2014-20.
Wine Enthusiast 92-94 / 100 byRoger Vossthe4/30/2010 Big, ripe, juicy wine, the tannins very solid and dark. It has layers of new wood, power and considerable density.
Anthony Rose 89-91 / 100 byAnthony Rosethe4/26/2010 Good youthful ruby colour, intense aromatic quality, with nice spicy oak, very nice fresh muscular dark berry fruits concentration on the palate which lengthen and soften in the mouth into an attractively juicy mouthful of fresh muberry-like fruitiness, very nice balanced overall.
Jancis Robinson 16 / 20 byJancis Robinsonthe4/7/2010 Thick and sweet on the nose. Plusciousness? Very sweet start and then polished tannins. Pretty appetising. But the tannins are not the ripest. Just a bit rasping on the finish. Drink 2015-2022
Wine Spectator 87-90 / 100 byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2010 Currant and mineral on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins and a medium finish. Needs a little more fruit concentration in the midpalate for such a top vintage.