A great success for proprietor Hubert de Bouard, the 2011 Angelus came in at 14.5% natural alcohol (keep in mind that this is supposedly a challenging vintage – and it was), and 75% of the production made it into the top label. The remainder was declassified into a second label or was sold off in bulk. Yields were a low 30 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. The color is a typical dense blue/purple, and the nose offers up wonderful notes of black raspberries, blueberries, flowers, vanillin and spice box. With authority, velvety tannin, good extract and glycerin, this rich, pure, beautifully textured St.-Emilion should drink well for 20+ years.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200) 

  Wine notes

A strong effort from this property situated between Pontet-Canet and Mouton Rothschild, d’Armailhac’s blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and the rest mostly Cabernet Franc and a touch of Petit Verdot was harvested between September 14-24. Its deep ruby color is accompanied by abundant aromas of black fruits, white chocolate, licorice and flowers. Medium-bodied, expressive, savory, pure and long with sweet tannins, it should drink well for 15+ years. 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200)

  Wine notes

15 points, Decanter - Dark, raisined fruit character. Sweet, with a touch of preserved fruit on the palate and then a drying finish. Balance is a little awkward. Drink 2017-2025.

The Bastor-Lamontagne offers a more exotic bouquet that its peers, with subtle tropical fruit aromas mingling with kiwi fruit and even a hint of toffee apple. It is well-defined but it needs to develop more intensity during maturation. The palate has a spicy entry with mint-tinged, honeyed fruit that leads to a precise, mineral-rich, focused finish that offers a touch of shaved ginger on the aftertaste. This is an intriguing Sauternes that should age with style and may offer more after bottling. Drink 2014-2028.

  Wine notes

Score: 15, Decanter - Attractive cassis fruit, nice smoothness and some charm as well as grip.

  Wine notes

Score: 16-plus, Decanter - Firm cassis fruit, very good depth and tannins. Drink 2015-2022.

  Wine notes

This dense ruby/purple-colored blend of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon tips out at a whopping 14.5%. From a top site, the Cote Pavie, this is a very fine 2011 with abundant cassis, kirsch, licorice and loamy soil undertones. Its sweet tannin, plush opulence and medium to full-bodied feel are all impressive. Anticipated maturity: now-2028.

  Wine notes

16 points, Decanter - Lovely cassis fruit, good balance, length and charm. Drink 2014-2018.

This St.-Emilion sleeper of the vintage is composed of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. (The property is located near such overachievers as Barde-Haut, La Fleur Cardinale and Destieux.) A dense purple color is accompanied by copious aromas of cassis and kirsch intertwined with hints of licorice, new oak and underbrush. Enjoy this medium to full-bodied, impressively endowed 2011 over the next decade.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200)

A richly fruity, soft, corpulent Pessac-Leognan, the dark ruby/plum-tinged 2011 Brown reveals evolved aromatics of roasted herbs, loamy soil and red as well as black currants. Already charming, this medium-bodied offering should be drunk over the next 5-7 years.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200)

The great Madame Denise Gasqueton, a Bordeaux icon whom I always visited early in the morning (8:15 a.m. for nearly 20 consecutive years), passed away on the first day of the 2011 harvest. The 2011 Calon-Segur is a fitting tribute to her extraordinary passion and love for this fabulous estate in the northern sector of St.-Estephe. A very strong effort (this property was untouched by the hail storm that swept through the area on September 1), it boasts an opaque purple color as well as surprisingly sweet tannin and abundant quantities of black cherry, black currant and dusty, loamy scents. Medium to full-bodied with beautifully integrated tannins and sensational purity and length, this super effort is a wonderful homage to the memory of Madame Gasqueton. Moreover, it is potentially one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage and should drink well for 25 or more years.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200)

A solid, charmless but competent wine, the dark plum/ruby-colored 2011 Camensac reveals sweet, herbal, red and black currant fruit, medium body and a lightly tannic finish.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200)

  Wine notes

A masculine, structured, tannic effort, Cantenac Brown’s 2011 reveals a deep ruby/purple color, clean fruit on the attack, and hard tannins dominating the finish. If the wine’s structure softens, this will be a very good to excellent wine capable of lasting 15-20 years. 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200)

  Wine notes

A sleeper of the vintage, this excellent blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from proprietor Silvio Denz exhibits good ripeness as well as plenty of dark black cherry and chocolaty espresso notes, 14% natural alcohol, and a medium-bodied, savory mouthfeel. It should drink well for 5-7 years.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200)

  Wine notes

15 points, Decanter - Raisined, compote fruit nose. Some mid-palate flesh but chewy tannins and a dry finish. Drink 2016-2024.

Score: 15.5, Decanter - Smooth texture and tannins. Dark fruit, spice and chocolate notes. A silky, seductive style for relatively early drinking. Drink 2016-2022.

Score: 87 - 90, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator - Taut, slightly austere style, with a roasted cedar frame to notes of loam, mulled blackberry and bittersweet cocoa.

A straightforward, superficial effort with decent acidity and adequate tannin, but lacking concentration and intensity, this 2011 requires consumption during its first 5-8 years of life.

  Wine notes

Score: 16, Decanter - Good depth of Cabernet fruit and some length. Drink 2014-2020.

I had some sample variation when tasting this wine, but at its best, it is a medium-bodied, straightforward Medoc displaying classic herbal and black currant notes as well as light but noticeable tannin in the short finish. 

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200) 

  Wine notes

Score: 16, Decanter - Broad, fragrant fruit, supple and elegant. Very attractive. Drink 2014-2018.

Score: 14-15, Decanter - Lighter colour than most, good supple fruit over fresh tannins. Not that complex.

Score: 15-16, Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com - Vanilla-laced dark fruit. Fresher and juicier than some other Haut-Médocs and much more pleasure even if it is lightish. Tannins much less hard work because less dense though still pretty dry.

Score: 83-86, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator - Taut and light, with modest plum skin and bitter cherry notes and a lightly firm, sandalwood-tinged finish.

  Wine notes

Score: 16, Decanter - Good cassis fruit, supple middle, balance and length. Drink 2015-2020.

Tasting through individual lots, I was struck by their purity and tautness, developing engaging floral aromas with aeration, with occasional notes of yellow plum and ginger. On the palate, once again there is a common theme of purity and crisp acidity, although they alternated between a lighter and a more mellifluous style. One or two significant lots demonstrated enticing spicy notes that define great Climens. There is certainly enormous potential here, one that beckons an intense, vivacious Barsac underpinned by freshness and focus.
The 2011 was picked over five tries in two phases, the first from September 8 to the 21st representing a whopping 82% of the harvest over two tries; the second from September 26 until the 28th comprising over three smaller tries. Although the weather played a critical factor, Berenice Lurton attributed the success of her wine to her limestone soils.

Neil Martin, Wine Advocate Issue (200)

  Wine notes

Under proprietor Ronan Laborde, Clinet has returned to the high quality witnessed in 1989 and 1990 under the helmsmanship of the late Jean-Michel Arcaute. Made from a final blend of 85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc that hit 14% natural alcohol, the inky, opaque purple-colored 2011 exhibits notes of blackberries, blueberries, espresso roast and subtle oak. Full-bodied, layered, opulent and flamboyant for a 2011, with loads of concentration and glycerin as well as a long finish, this is one of the most impressive wines of the vintage. It should drink well for two decades.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200)

  En Primeur Recommends

  Wine notes

From a nearly 8+ acre vineyard on the eastern side of St.-Emilion, the 2011 Clos du Breuil is composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that hit 14% natural alcohol. It exhibits a sumptuous personality along with lots of blackberry and black currant fruit intertwined with charcoal, truffle and forest floor notes. Dense, rich and full-bodied with good acidity as well as sweet, well-integrated tannin, it should be approachable in its youth and evolve for 15+ years.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200)

  Wine notes

The fabulous Clos Haut Peyraguey has a slightly pinched nose that unwinds nicely in the glass to reveal a patina of mineral-rich, lightly botrytized fruit almost pixellated in clarity. The palate is medium-bodied with a waxy texture upon the entry. It is very harmonious, although at this early stage the creamy new oak is just a little dominant and detracts from its tension. However, I am convinced that this will be fully assimilated by the time of bottling and the complexity and harmony of this Sauternes cannot be avoided. I would afford it more bottle age than other Sauternes. Drink 2016-2030+. 

                                                                     Neil Martin, Wine Advocate Issue (200)

  Wine notes

This blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc from proprietors Gerard and Chantal Perse (the illustrious Michel Rolland is the consultant) is one of the reference points for what can be achieved in the Cotes de Castillon. A sleeper of the vintage, this outstanding effort hit 14.2% natural alcohol. It possesses a dense purple color as well as notes of lead pencil shavings, ink, camphor, creme de cassis and sweet mulberry fruit. Medium to full-bodied and dense, it completely over-delivers for its modest pedigree. Enjoy it over the next decade.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (200) 

  Wine notes