Since his purchase of Château des Laurets in 2003, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild wanted to reveal the quintessence of this estate by making a special cuvée from the best plots of Merlot. The grapes are picked and sorted by hand, then fermented with all the care and attention worthy of a great-growth. This rare wine, only produced in the best vintages, reflects all the quality of a great Saint-Émilion made primarily from Merlot— a subtle combination of elegance and character.

Winter was quite cold and dry, causing some delay in the budding. Mixed weather conditions in the spring made the flowering process uneven. Yet, as always, the great terroirs appear to have set their own agenda and ignored the vagaries of the weather, enjoying a fast and homogenous flowering process with perfect results.

The summer of 2010 was as dry as 2009, yet cooler. The absence of extreme heat combined with cool nights compensated for the drought and probably allowed some of the great terroirs’ young plants to reach a new quality threshold. It also favored the aromatic character in all grape varieties and enabled the maintenance of excellent acidity levels – the perfect foil for high levels of alcohol.