Bordeaux (2011)

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.