Yesterday was our final full day of tasting and, although we still have a few producers in Pessac-Léognan to visit this morning, a much clearer picture has formed in our minds. Ending Wednesday evening with the sensational beauty of Latour (above) and beginning Thursday with the serious majesty of Lafite and Mouton, we were set for a day of great wines, further proven by lovely examples at Cos d’Estournel (below) (we can almost still taste the finish!) and Ch. Pontet-Canet (see video) whose entire operation is now fully biodynamically certified for the first time.

We were also especially impressed by Ch. Haut-Bages Libéral and Léoville-Poyferré wines which are set to be real keepers – as is the wonderful Ch. Angludet (note the omission of the ‘d’’, which has been dropped on the label this year). A visit to Ch. Pichon-Baron completed our Pauillac portfolio and confirmed to us that this appellation is one of the star performers of the vintage.

It was also an afternoon of wines tasting superb at the lower level. Ch. le Crock, for example, is a wine with incredibly finely grained tannins, an opulent black fruit bouquet and exceptional freshness; this is a real star amongst the Cru Bourgeois hierarchy. Ch. la Gurgue, a Margaux from the Ch. Haut-Bages Libéral stable (Claire Villars), also impressed with its beguiling floral aromas, so typical of this commune. It is very encouraging to see wines of such quality at all price points.

An interesting morning in the Graves lies ahead of us to complete our overview of Bordeaux 2010 – allons-y!