Inky-ruby. Very pure, ripe blackberry and blackcurrant on the nose, with hints of fresh violet, minerals and cured tobacco. The sweet dark berry and candied black cherry flavors display impressive depth and lingering minerality, but the building, palate-coating tannins are tough going today. Finishes with excellent persistence, but this wine left me scrambling for something to eat. Best today on the profound, perfumed nose, this is a very impressive, serious wine. But as with other wines from Catherine Pere-Verge's stable this year (witness Le Gay and Montviel), I found it a little too extracted for my taste, although considerably less so than those two. I am normally a huge fan of La Violette, which is often one of the purest and daintiest expressions of Pomerol (certainly, its terroir is arguably among the very best of the appellation), so it may well be that all the 2010 needs is time in the bottle to resolve its fierce tannic shroud. In that case, my score will look ungenerous.

This tiny jewel of a property consists of five acres planted with 100% Merlot (over 50 years of age) in clay, limestone and gravelly soils, situated between Le Pin and Trotanoy. Made from yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare, the 2010, surprisingly, possesses only 13.5% alcohol (some of its neighbors hit 14.5-15%). As its name suggests, the hallmark of La Violette is its striking floral character. In many ways it is a more flowery version of La Conseillante, which comes from the gravelly soils on the St.-Emilion border. This offering's dense ruby/purple color is accompanied by sweet aromas of flowers, raspberries and kirsch. With sweet tannins, a full-bodied richness and elegance as well as a sublime lightness, this unusual Pomerol is characterized by its quintessential finesse, elegance and flowery qualities. A remarkable wine, it can be drunk young or cellared for 15-20 years.

The plummy almost jammy character is enticing, with a mineral and stoney undertone. Full and velvety. Generous. Better than 2009.

Quite lush, with inviting cherry preserves, plum sauce and cassis character. Very silky and refined, with perfumy tea and incense notes. Long. Score range: 91-94