Alcohol %: 13.5% (2010 vintage)
Grape Variety: 55% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Type: Red Wine — Haut-Médoc AOC, Bordeaux, France
Food Pairing
- Roast leg of lamb
- Lamb chops
- Roast beef
- Ribeye or sirloin steak
- Beef stew
- Duck confit
- Roast duck
- Venison and other game
- Roast chicken
- Mushroom dishes
- Charcuterie and pâté
- Mature hard cheeses
Roast lamb is a particularly appropriate pairing; Guide Hachette specifically recommends roast leg of lamb and also suggests dishes based on duck, beef and game.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep, intense red with youthful violet tones originally. At more than 15 years from harvest, a well-stored bottle may now show garnet and subtle brick-red development toward the rim. Contemporary tasting notes described the 2010 as dark or intense violet-red.
Aroma: Complex and classically Bordeaux in character, with blackcurrant, blackberry and other dark fruits accompanied by restrained oak. With air and bottle maturity, the fruit is complemented by notes of vanilla, spice, liquorice and tobacco. Guide Hachette specifically noted cassis and toast, while later tasting notes report cassis, blueberry, vanilla, spice, liquorice and tobacco.
Palate: Medium- to full-bodied and structured, combining ripe dark and red fruit with fresh acidity and fine, increasingly integrated tannins. The wine has good mid-palate volume without being excessively heavy, leading to a persistent, harmonious finish. Wine Enthusiast described the wine as dense but not powerful, with bright red fruit, attractive tannins and a gentle ripe character.
Description
Château Citran 2010 is a mature Haut-Médoc AOC red Bordeaux from the Médoc on Bordeaux's Left Bank. Château Citran is an historic Médoc estate situated at Avensan, west of Margaux and south of Moulis and Listrac.
The 2010 vintage blend is 55% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. Despite its Left Bank origin, Merlot therefore represents the majority of this particular vintage, giving the wine ripe fruit and roundness, while Cabernet Sauvignon contributes structure and Cabernet Franc adds aromatic complexity.
The estate's vineyard incorporates a mixture of gravel, sandy-gravel and clay-limestone soils. The château describes its grand vin as resulting from the combination of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, followed by approximately 15 months of oak-barrel ageing, with around one-third of the barrels renewed each year.
The wine shows blackcurrant and other dark fruits, alongside red-fruit character, discreet oak and increasingly mature savoury complexity. The palate combines substantial fruit with freshness, structured but polished tannins and a persistent finish. Guide Hachette described the 2010 as dark red, with a complex cassis-and-toast bouquet and a fleshy palate supported by firm tannins.
The 2010 Bordeaux vintage is widely regarded as an excellent, age-worthy vintage, and Château Citran performed well. Wine Enthusiast rated the finished wine 89 points after giving the barrel sample an 89–91 point range. Other published listings report 90 points from Wine Spectator and 88 from Robert Parker/Wine Advocate.
