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$810.00
ROBERT PARKER 96-100 POINTS: "Not surprisingly, Alain Vauthier’s 2011 Ausone is one of the greatest wines he has produced. I know this sounds impossible, Read More...
but it is the reason why I spend so much time tasting and reflecting on what is in front of me. The 2011 could turn out to be better than his 2009 – sacre bleu! Probably the wine of the vintage, the 2011 exhibits a murky, inky, blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of creme de cassis, plum sauce, crushed rocks (primarily chalk), acacia flowers and hints of graphite, truffles and damp forest floor. The riveting aromatics are followed by a wine that does not let the taster down in the mouth. Full-bodied with extraordinary purity, oozing richness and well-integrated velvety tannins, acidity, oak and alcohol, this is another superb achievement by Vauthier from this phenomenal site on the decomposed limestone hillsides of St.-Emilion. Possibly the longest-lived wine of the vintage, it should evolve for 30-40 years. Since few of us can afford Ausone (or even find it, assuming we have the discretionary income necessary to purchase it), readers should seek out the second wine, which usually represents one-third of the entire production."
$81.99
ROBERT PARKER 92-94 POINTS: "Massive for the vintage (14.7% alcohol), this blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from a small 16-acre vineyard was cropped Read More...
at 21 hectoliters per hectare. It was made by the remarkably talented team of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt. Inky/purple-colored with notes of crushed rocks, blackberry and blueberry liqueur and hints of charcoal and incense, this full-bodied, rich, dense offering admirably displays its exquisite terroir. Give the 2011 4-5 years of cellaring, and enjoy it over the following 20-25."
$66.99
ROBERT PARKER 92-94 POINTS: "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), Read More...
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."
$161.99
ROBERT PARKER 91-94 POINTS: "The 2011 Chapelle d’Ausone offers a dense opaque purple color as well as striking floral notes intermixed with notions of blackberries Read More...
and blueberries. It possesses full-bodied richness, good minerality, terrific palate-penetrating characteristics and an unreal finish. It, too, is one of the top wines of the vintage, and it should be drinkable at an earlier date than its bigger sibling."
$79.99
ROBERT PARKER 90-92 POINTS: "The second wine is also a great success, revealing much of the character of its bigger brother, although not the weight or richness. Read More...
The open-knit, plush, opulent, fresh, lively 2011 La Chapelle de la Mission is ideal for drinking in its first 10-15 years of life.
I can't say enough good things about the job Jean-Philippe Delmas has done after taking over for his well-known father at La Mission-Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion. As long-time readers know, I am an addict for both of these wines."
I can't say enough good things about the job Jean-Philippe Delmas has done after taking over for his well-known father at La Mission-Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion. As long-time readers know, I am an addict for both of these wines."
$83.99
ROBERT PARKER 92-94 POINTS: "Under proprietor Ronan Laborde, Clinet has returned to the high quality witnessed in 1989 and 1990 under the helmsmanship of Read More...
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."
$40.99
ROBERT PARKER 90-92 POINTS: "The opaque ruby/purple-tinged 2011 Croix de Beaucaillou (80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot) exhibits copious aromas of incense, Read More...
Christmas fruitcake and red and black currants presented in a richly fruity, opulent style that is almost atypical in a vintage such as 2011 (which generally emphasizes acidity, delineation and more traditional structure and freshness). This beauty is clearly a sleeper of the vintage. It should drink well for 10-15 years."
$117.99
ROBERT PARKER 93-95 POINTS: "One of the vintage’s stars, the 2011 Ducru Beaucaillou is a riveting blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. It boasts Read More...
an inky/blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of creme de cassis, licorice, subtle wood smoke and spring flowers, a surprising, full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning intensity, purity, symmetry and length. Production at this estate used to be 12,000-15,000 cases, but after instituting a strict selection in addition to the smallest yields ever at this vineyard, it is down to 9,000 cases. The 2011 has considerable tannin, but it is soft and well-integrated. It should drink well for 20+ years. Readers should also be aware of just how sensational the second wine can be."
$38.99
ROBERT PARKER 92-94 POINTS: "Another top-notch success, the 2011 (70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) hit 15% natural alcohol. Yields Read More...
were a low 30 hectoliters per hectare, and the harvest occurred quite late. The result is a dense purple-colored wine with a stunning bouquet of blackberry jam, graphite, charcoal and blueberries. With superb density and purity as well as a multidimensional mouthfeel, this intense St.-Emilion is a sleeper of the vintage, although consumers are catching on to the exquisite quality emerging from La Fleur Cardinale. The 2011 should drink well for 15+ years."
$575.00
ROBERT PARKER 92-95 POINTS: "Like its stablemate La Mission-Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion’s 2011 production was small, only 7,600 cases, which is nearly 3,000 fewer Read More...
cases than in 2009. A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc, it is interesting to taste the 2011 Haut-Brion next to the more open-knit, seductive 2011 La Mission Haut-Brion. The former wine is more firm, backward and earthy with a more formidably structured style. Undeniably elegant, distinctive and original, it exhibits notes of mulberries, plums, blueberries and raspberries. Jean-Philippe Delmas told me that in many ways the 2011 reminds him of the 2008 from an aromatic and structural profile. There is plenty of tannin, and the 2011 has 25-30 years of aging potential. It may be more reminiscent of a vintage such as 1988, but it is better made as well as being the product of a far stricter selection process."
$680.00
ROBERT PARKER 90-93 POINTS: "A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot (harvested between September 3-21), the 2011 Lafite Rothschild came in at 12.6% Read More...
natural alcohol (considerably lower than in 2010 and 2009). Exhibiting a deep ruby/purple color, lots of crushed rock, red and black currant, forest floor and underbrush characteristics, moderate tannin and medium body, it is built somewhat along the lines of the 1999 and 2001. It should be a 20- to 25-year wine, but it is not at the level of the 2008, 2009 and 2010. Fresh acids give the wine a somewhat more clipped feeling than most great Lafites have exhibited. Nevertheless, there is a lot of freshness and vibrancy to this vintage."
$725.00
ROBERT PARKER 93-95 POINTS: "A blend of 84.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the 2011 Latour represents only 34% of the crop. It hit 13.1% Read More...
natural alcohol. One of the vintage's most compelling wines, it possesses a dense ruby/purple color as well as a sweet, open-knit personality with ripe tannin, superb intensity, good purity and harmony, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and lots of crushed rock, floral and black as well as blue fruit notes in addition to hints of ink and forest floor. This beautifully rich, savory Latour will be surprisingly drinkable in 4-5 years, and should age easily for two decades or more."
$75.99
ROBERT PARKER 90-92+ POINTS: "Leoville Barton's 2011 is head and shoulders above its sister offering, Langoa Barton. Although not as backward as I expected Read More...
given the general style that emerges from Anthony Barton's beloved St.-Julien estate, this wine will need time in the bottle once it is released in several years. An opaque purple color is followed by aromas of damp earth, underbrush, black currants, cedar and hints of vanillin and incense. Medium to full-bodied and moderately tannic with good acidity as well as excellent delineation and purity, it should be forgotten for 4-5 years, and drunk over the following two decades."
$160.99
ROBERT PARKER 93-95+ POINTS: 'One of the thrilling successes of the vintage is, not surprisingly, the 2011 Leoville Las Cases. Analytically, this ripe wine Read More...
has statistical numbers that are almost identical to their 2010. The fruit was cropped at 27 hectoliters per hectare, the wine aged in 80% new French oak, and the final blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc came in at 13.4% natural alcohol. It boasts an opaque inky/purple color along with gloriously pure aromas of creme de cassis, black raspberries, vanillin and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied with abundant glycerin and ripe but noticeable tannin, this beauty is potentially one of the longest lived and finest wines of the vintage. It should be drinkable in 5-6 years and last for 2-3 decades."
$85.99
ROBERT PARKER 91-94 POINTS: "Another super effort from this estate, Leoville Poyferre's 2011 possesses an opaque purple color in addition to a ripe, fragrant Read More...
nose of black currant fruit, cedar, white chocolate and a touch of oak. Rich, layered and medium to full-bodied with unmistakable elegance and purity, vibrant acids and a fresh, lively personality, it will need 3-4 years of cellaring and should keep for two decades."
$115.99
ROBERT PARKER 90-93 POINTS: "Another strong effort produced under the administration of Jean-Charles Cazes (the son of Jean-Michel Cazes, who spent decades Read More...
building Lynch Bages into one of the most popular Bordeaux estates), the 2011 boasts an inky/purple hue in addition to copious aromas of black currants, incense, forest floor and ink. Deep, rich, medium to full-bodied and layered with supple tannins as well as the vintage's freshness and vibrancy, it should age easily for 20 years."
$53.99
ROBERT PARKER 91-93 POINTS: "This dense ruby/purple-colored, opulently-styled 2011 displays terrific fruit intensity, velvety, well-integrated tannins, surprising Read More...
density and richness as well as decent acidity. Notes of ink, blueberry liqueur and creme de cassis are present in this medium to full-bodied, flamboyant Margaux. It should drink nicely for 15 or more years."
$580.00
ROBERT PARKER 94-96+ POINTS: "Administrator Paul Pontallier is nearly embarrassed to explain the amazing success of the 2011 Chateau Margaux, a candidate Read More...
for wine of the vintage. With the harvest occurring between September 5-20, it was the smallest crop in over twenty years as yields were cut significantly by the drought. The berries were tiny. Moreover, analytically, the 2011 has a higher level of concentration as well as tannins than the 2009. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, only 38% of the harvest made it into the grand vin. The wine offers an inky/purple color, barely noticeable sweet tannin, and a beautiful nose of creme de cassis, spring flowers and lead pencil shavings backed up by fresh acids and good overall structure. This medium to full-bodied effort possesses tremendous personality and character. It rivals what they achieved in both 2010 and 2009, which is virtually impossible to contemplate given the quality of those two vintages."
$348.99
ROBERT PARKER 93-95 POINTS: "The production of the 2011 La Mission-Haut-Brion (55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc) was a tiny 4,100 cases, Read More...
compared to 6,000 cases in 2009 and 5,100 cases in 2010. The 2011 is a big, sexy, smoky, classic La Mission displaying lots of road tar, graphite, barbecue, meats, mulberry, black currant and blueberry notes. It is full-bodied with sweet tannin as well as an expansive, fleshy style. The harvest was late in 2011 despite the fact that this micro-climate is one of the warmest and most precocious in all of Bordeaux since it is essentially in the city of Bordeaux. This brilliant wine, one of the vintage's superstars, should drink reasonably well in 3-4 years and keep for 25 or more."
$118.99
ROBERT PARKER 91-93 POINTS: "A strong effort, the 2011 Montrose exhibits a dense ruby/purple color in addition to abundant black currant and boysenberry fruit Read More...
notes intermixed with white chocolate, damp earth, truffle and camphor. Medium to full-bodied with sweet tannin and impressive concentration, this blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot hit nearly 13% natural alcohol (relatively high in Bordeaux, but lower than the 13.2% in 2009 and 13.8% in 2010). The 2011 should drink well for 15 or more years."
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