The old school effort of tasting and re tasting Bordeaux is certainly proving to be important for the 2011 wines.  There were some (primarily right bank and select left bank wines) that showed well early on and better in June but September seems to have been the key time to check back in on them.  I was extremely surprised at home much weight and complexity has come on to these wines in the last three months in general, but especially with those that had not previously showed well before this.  The ones that were good are even better and some that I was highly disappointed in (either due to quality or relative to the particular Chateau) that are coming on strong.  For the left bank, St. Julien, Margaux and now Pauillac are the clear leaders and the right bank is and has been the cream of the crop.
 

2011 D'Armailhac - A more expressive nose than April. Deep red florals. What a 
difference from April! Loads of fruit and red flowers. Not a lot of tannin and 
moderate acidity. Quite improved. 

2011 Clerc Milon - A sweeter raspberry nose. Dark fruit, cassis palate. Again 
light on tannin but nice freshness and showing far better than April. What a 
difference. 

2011 Mouton Rothschild - Whoa!!!  What a difference. Totally huge, Mouton nose. 
Meaty, eucaliptice on the nose. Big, full mouthful of dark fruit, cassis, 
blackberry and plums. More tannin than the other two and a bit more acidity. I 
rescind my April notes as it just was not ready for tasting as it is now. 

2011 La Dame de Montrose - Very dark and tight nose. Big, full dark fruit 
palate. More weight, more fruit, more everything. Good tannin and acidity. I 
liked this wine in April and thought this would be the case again. 

2011 Montrose - Big dark fruit, dark flower nose. Huge palate of dark fruit and 
berries. Big tannin and lovely acidity. This is a great wine and time will show. 


2011 Pontet Canet - Improved nose with dark berry and dark flowers. Big Pontet 
palate of flowers and fruits. Lovely tannin and acidity. This has really come 
around and is quite impressive. 

2011 Lynch Bages - Sweet plumbs and cigar on the nose. This is a big change from 
April. Big, ripe, dark fruit and plumbs on the palate. Good tannin and acidity. 
This was not at all good in April and I am very pleasantly surprised today. 

2011 Pichon Baron - Rose notes and red fruit. Another huge change! Wood has 
integrated and the red fruit is exploding forward with the power of Pichon 
exploding forward on the palate. Great tannin and acidity and I now have high 
expectations for the longevity of this wine. I've tasted this twice previously 
and been disappointed by time has healed all wounds and this is a fabulous wine!

2010 Pichon Baron - Dark fruit and cassis nose. What a behemoth wine. Dark fruit 
and red flowers. Perfect balance and integration with amazing tannin and 
acidity. This wine has had it all since day one. I've had it 6-7 times since its 
first primeur pouring and with one exception (6 days after bottling) it has 
always been one of the greatest wines of the vintage. This is no exception. 
Owners will be rewarded for decades on end. 

2009 Pichon Baron - Big red fruit nose. Extremely expressive in any way and 
especially in that 2009 way. Sexy, forward, explosive fruit. Huge, lush and 
round with better tannin than most the 09s. This is a beast. Again. 

2001 Pichon Baron - Dark plumbs and cedar. Ripe dark fruit and good tannin. 
Still nice acidity and it should last for quite some time still but lovely to 
enjoy now as well. 

2011 Ducru Beaucaillou - Deep blackberry nose with a hard deep floral note. 
Following through to the palate from the nose but adding a peach element. Super 
fine tannin and great freshness and acidity. I am quite glad I reserved my 
opinion for a later date in April because this (like many others) is showing 
worlds better. Superb offering. 

2011 Palmer - Deep black nose and coffee. Great dark fruit and red rose palate. 
It has really begun to integrated well (one of the wines that actually showed 
well in April). Big tannin, structure and lovely acidity. Extremely low yields 
led to super concentration. I'm not sure you can call Palmer a "sleeper" but it 
does not get the respect (aka reviews) it deserves.
Day 2:
2011 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarosse - We had to taste from barrels so not the final 
blend. However, this was more interesting than most instances of this. This is a 
tiny producer (only 6.5 hectares) and they do everything in a flexible style so 
that they can work very closely throughout the wine making process. We tasted 
three barrel samples and I found them all to be very perfumed and floral. I am 
impressed with the structure and freshness (acidity) and beautifully integrated 
tannins. I would expect this will be another great effort from BDL. 

2005 Clinet - (opened about 6 hours ago) Very floral and deep perfume nose. 
Extremely expressive. Deep dark fruit and cassis on the palate. Still a bit 
wound up as the 05s are young but great tannin and acidity and I would expect 
this to be a great wine (is already, just young) with a bit more age. 

2010 Clinet - (opened about 6 hours ago) Super dark! Dark plums on the nose but 
a bit tight which is no surprise. Wow!!! The palate is certainly not closed. It 
is a broad range of black fruit, cassis and seemingly a bit of lilac. Great 
everything. Beautifully elegant, integrated tannins and amazing acidity. Totally 
2010 and completely Clinet!

2008 Angelus - Red berry and red rose nose. Big, beautiful red fruit palate with 
lovely acidity and really well integrated tannin. This can be enjoyed now for 
sure but really no rush.
Day 3:
2011 Margaux - Deep purple in color. Dark plums and violet nose. Large, dark 
fruit, big, sweet and floral palate. This has put on a fair bit of weight but is 
quite elegant. Great acidity and balance. This showed well from the get-go and 
is still doing so but evolving well. Excellent. 

2011 Pavillon Blanc - Wow!!! Explosions of tropical fruit exploding off the 
nose. A bit of white flower as well. This is a beautiful flavor profile of white 
peaches, apricot and tropics. Great acidity and super fresh. Long, long, long 
finish. 2011 was a superb vintage for the whites in Bordeaux and this is no 
exception. Mr. Pontallier believes this without question to be the finest 
Pavillon Blanc made....ever....period. 

2011 Cantenac Brown - Black liquorices nose. Ripe, dark fruit and cassis palate. 
A bit tannic with a bit less acidity than I would like but showing relatively 
well. I think another few months in the barrel may balance this a bit more but 
the fruit is certainly there. 

2011 Gloria - Dense deep purple with violet and blackberry nose. Mammoth, 
black fruit and dark flower palate. Great balanced tannins and beautiful acidity 
and freshness. Exceptional Gloria. People need to pay attention to this wine 
again as I am convinced it now represents one of the absolute best values from 
the left bank. 

2011 St. Pierre - Much more floral on the nose rather than fruit. Very perfumed. 
Softer fruit but again floral as can be in the mouth and so much so on the 
finish. Beautifully integrated tannins and again great acidity. It makes me 
think of a beautiful woman that walks by you and the trail of her perfume. Just 
super. And like the Gloria an amazing value. 

2011 Les Forts de Latour - Deep smoky, blackberry, boysenberry nose. Ripe fruit 
and a touch of stemminess but very round with nice tannin and acidity. I would 
guess this will smooth out in the next few months. 

2011 Latour - Deep black fruit nose. This is a huge but typical Latour. Classic 
style with big ripe super dark fruit and cassis. Big round tannins and a bit of 
wood still showing but this will fade. Very nice acidity. It is a bit disjointed 
at this stage but I really wouldn't be too concerned at this point. 

2011 Leoville Poyferre - Black liquorices and dark fruit highly expressive nose. 
Big dark fruit with violet flower palate. Big, rich, ripe tannin and lovely 
fresh acidity. Loved it from the first tasting in April and there is absolutely 
no reason to change my mind.

2005 Meursault sous le Dos d'Ane - Minerality and shells on the nose but with 
that big fruit forwardness of 05s. Good mineral but generally one dimensional on 
palate. Not a big fan of 05 whites from birth and I'm still not. This is even on 
the decline While I don't expect as much from this particular Meursault I'm 
still not a fan.
 
2002 Meursault sous le Dos d'Ane - More expressive and explosive mineralty than 
the 05. Much more rounded with fruit mixed with mineralty. Probably no room to 
grow but showing really well. 

2006 Puligny Montrachet Clavoillon(magnum) - A bit darker than I'd like to see 
for a young mag. Really tight on the nose. Not surprising from a mag nor the 
vintage. It is not quite right to me on the palate either. I have avoided 2006 
Leflaive because people I know and trust have commented that something isn't 
quite right with them (perhaps due to the wine maker change mid stream) and I 
would say that here. Shame. 

2009 Puligny Montrachet Folatieres - Wound up and fruit forward. A bit of 
excitement on the nose. Big, vibrant, over powering fruit. Really reminiscent 
of the 05s at this stage. Fun and exciting now but I don't hold out much hope.
 
2004 Puligny Montrachet Folatieres - Now we're in business.  Exactly what I 
expect from the vintage. You can smell the minerality, fruit, white flowers and 
balance that is here. Unbelievably young on the palate yet signs of maturity 
with integration yet still lovely acidity.  

2009 Puligny Montrachet Combettes - Big white flower nose. Big round palate. 
Nice fruit and good freshness and acidity. Surprisingly more in tune than the 
Folatieres and what I expect from the vintage.
 
2006 Puligny Montrachet Combettes (magnum) - Again, darker color than there 
should be. Its a bit strange on the nose again. Very simplistic and no terroir. 
A bit more on the palate than the Folatieres but its just not fresh. It 
certainly should be, especially from mag but its just not. 

2008 Puligny Montrachet Pucelles - Very very tight nose. I get almost nothing 
from it. Wow, what a mouthful though. An absolutely explosive combo of white 
peach, mineral and beautiful acidity. Nice finish as well. Very lovely wine.

2007 Puligny Montrachet Pucelles - Crushed shells and mineral nose. Expressive 
07 for sure. Beautiful fruits and flowers, again mineralty defining the terroir 
and amazing freshness. Long finish. This is far from ready but is a very 
exciting wine. 
 
2006 Puligny Montrachet Pucelles - Surprisingly lighter in color (proper color) 
than the other two 06s which were in mags. The nose is a bit more typical and 
minerally. Lovely palate with great freshness. The best 06 I've had tonight for 
sure. I guess the color says it all.
 
1996 Puligny Montrachet Pucelles - Booyah! What proper white Burgundy should 
smell like. Still the crushed shell minerality but with that completely unique 
aged smell. Big and round white peaches and mineral. Nice freshness but well 
integrated. Don't empty the cellar but it is time to pop the cork and enjoy this 
if you have it over the next 3-5 years. Really, really great.

2006 Bienvenue Batard Montrachet - Color is borderline, on the darker than I'd 
like to see side. Its off. No other comments necessary.
 
2000 Bienvenue Batard Montrachet - Very nice elegant nose. Beautiful palate of 
mineral and fruit. Lovely acidity and finish. I have always loved this wine and 
this vineyard in particular. It is more elegant and certainly not the power of 
its neighboring Batard but always complex and highly cerebral. 

2003 Batard Montrachet - A little funky on the nose (typically for the vintage). 
Rich, lush, fat, round but not particularly interesting on the palate. Not much 
of a finish either.

2002 Batard Montrachet - Game time! The nose alone sums this one up. Monster 
nose of everything Batard has to offer. This is one of those white Burgs that 
rolls your eyes back on the nose. What a mouthful. Wow. Monster and so not even 
close to ready. Amazing fruit, mineral, limestone on the palate. Has the acidity 
of the a much younger wine. This has the backbone and structure to outlast 
almost any of its peers.
 
1999 Batard Montrachet - A good nose with a bit of dust. Much better on the 
palate but up next to the 02 its a tough comp. A lot of similar characteristics 
but by no means the same excitement for the future. Plenty of years left to 
enjoy it but not sure there will be much improvement.  
 
1994 Batard Montrachet - What a weird nose. Its not shot but if it were poured 
blind I would think it was some sort of grape I'm not familiar with or a liquor. 
Nothing special on the palate. Again not bad, but a bit weird. I'll sum it up 
like this: not bad, just weird. Got it?
 
1983 Batard Montrachet (magnum) - Great old white Burg nose. It has that good 
funk that I love on aged whites. Amazing palate. Batard is really built to age. 
Great fruit and still pull that limestone. Big and rich and full. Great long 
finish. However, I am glad this is out of mag because I am not sure it would be 
holding up as well from bottle. 

2004 Chevalier Montrachet - Oh yeah! 2004s still rule! I called it barrel (my 
first big call) and they are not letting me down. If I could replace my blood 
with wine, this might be it. Incredibly explosive mineralty and white flower. 
Same thing on the palate with added dimensions, acidity but yet that elegant 
nature of Chevalier. Long finish. Sooooo good.
 
2003 Chevalier Montrachet - Pretty nose of mineralty. Much more together than 
its Batard counterpart. A bit angular but still has the Chevy character. If 
forced to drink an 03 I'd give this a run and its certainly better than the 
Batard but nothing to write home about.
 
2002 Chevalier Montrachet - Here we go again. The 02s are just showing so well! 
This is everything just like the Batard was but with that elegance and finesse 
of Chevalier. Long long finish. Get a big bowl of boiled shrimp and a bottle of 
this and life is good.
1994 Chevalier Montrachet - Really quite a good nose. Nice palate. Certainly not 
the 02 or 04 but this is a surprise. Frankly, I'd rather have this than the 03 
because it is unusual but in an interesting way.