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Parker on Bordeaux 2011 En Primeur

"The surprisingly successful 2011 red and white Bordeaux"   Robert Parker


This is a much better vintage than I thought it was before my trip to Bordeaux and could turn out to be close in overall quality to years such as the underrated 2001 and 2008.

However, if prices do not drop dramatically for the 2011 Bordeaux, I do not think there will be any fine “futures” wine market in the civilized world that will buy these wines for delivery in 2014.

It was not an easy growing season... and in many vineyards, specially in the Médoc, it was a race between getting the grapes adequately ripe and the sinister rot stampeding through the vineyards.

However, the last two weeks of September and October were dry months and beautiful – for grapes and people. Overall, 2011, in spite of the unusually cool, overcast months of July and August, turned out to be one of the hottest years France has had over the last half century.

...Pomerol stands out as the most consistent appellation, but the prestigious appellations of the Médoc as well as the better St.-Emilion properties have all fared reasonably well in 2011.

The crop size is small compared to 2010 or 2009, so there is not a massive quantity of these wines available. The lower pedigree wines from the more humble appellations and satellite appellations around St.-Emilion are more variable in quality, as one might expect in a vintage where selection was critical.

The least consistent appellation, based on my tastings, was Graves/Pessac-Léognan, but that does not mean some top-notch wines weren’t produced there.

The bottom line is that it is hard to get emotionally pumped up over the 2011 vintage. To reiterate, the wines are better than expected.
Parkers score and vintage assessment- Bordeaux 2011

            More on the Vintage Assessment:


A lot of good winemaking has produced excellent wines throughout Bordeaux, but will they sell if prices do not drop significantly? I don’t think so, and neither do I have the answers, but let’s see how it plays out.

Top of the crop The next  10 top-scoring wines  
Ausone, St. Emilion 96-100 La Mission Haut-Brion 93-95
Ch. D'Yquem, Sauternes 96-98 Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou 93-95
Doisy-Dane, Barsac 95-97 Ch. Pontet-Canet 93-95
Ch. Climens, Barsac 95-97 Ch. Mouton-Rothschild 93-96
Ch. Coutet, Barsac 94-96 Ch. Latour 93-95
Rabaud-Promis, Sauternes 94-96 Ch. Pavie 93-95
Vieux Chateau Certan 94-96 Ch. Suduiraut, Sauternes 93-95
Ch. Cheval Blanc, St Emilion 94-96 Ch. Leoville Las-Cases 93-95+
Le Pin, Pomerol 94-96 Ch. Rayne-Vigneau, Sauternes 93-95
Ch. Margaux 94-96+ Ch. De Fargues, Sauternes 93-95

Read here scores or all Boreaux 2011 wines by jancisrobinson.com, Parker, Tim Atkin, Decanter and The Wine Spectator

Bordeaux 2011 En Primeur Wine Tastings Berry Bros Rudd