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Chateau Malartic Lagraviere,
Ready, but will improve,
Vivid, expressive, juicy and concentrated, the 2011 Malartic Lagraviere comes from good-sized estate of 131 acres, of which 17 are dedicated to their excellent white wine. Made from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color along with a supple, medium to full-bodied texture with no hard edges, an opulence and exuberance that provide lots of seductiveness, and tell-tale notes of burning embers, charcoal, kirsch liqueur and black currant fruit. Drink this impressive 2011 over the next two decades. Only 55% of the production made it into the grand vin. The natural alcohol is 13.5%.
Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate, 30th April 2014
Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate, 30th April 2014
Ready, but will improve,
This is another wine which goes straight on to my personal shopping list this year, as it has been since 2004. It has a real elegance and precision this year, but with the weight of rich fruit so many lack. More Grand-Puy-Lacoste in Pauillac style than say Lynch-Bages, its sweet red, crunchy fruit gives the glass such a refreshing lift at the end you almost want to drink it now. Well played Claire, this 2011 is another quaffable triumph.
(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director)
(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director)
Chateau Giscours,
Ready, but will improve,
2011 is another masterful vintage from this great Margaux estate. I’m drinking my 2001 and 2002 Ch.Giscours at home at the moment, and both are singing. The 2011 is going to be even better. Not quite 2009 or 2010 level but only a fraction behind and will drink earlier than those two great years. Sweet black fruits with a real sense of richness and depth that few properties have this year. Exceptional 3 minute finish which only makes you want it to mature faster so you can pull the cork and get on with it! Delicious.
Simon Staples - Sales Director, Asia
Simon Staples - Sales Director, Asia
For laying down,
Absolutely brilliant - again! The lovely and charming Veronique Sanders and the team at Ch. Haut-Bailly have done it once more. In a vintage where all the châteaux really did have to craft their babies and contend with more than problematic growing conditions, Ch. Haut-Bailly has come out almost on top of the pile, surpassing several First Growths in quality. Sadly the rigorous selection needed to make the Grand Vin so Grand will make a staggering effect on supply this year in what is an already tiny production.
Incredible intensity and deep red and black fruit with the finest tannins of the vintage coating the palate. It has precision, grace, complexity and power with an outstanding richness that fills the mouth completely. Better than 2009 or 2010? It sort of sits between the two. The power of 2009 and finesse of 2010. A real must have and I think the price will be down on last year, but I worry about being able to buy enough. Heavenly happiness!
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Incredible intensity and deep red and black fruit with the finest tannins of the vintage coating the palate. It has precision, grace, complexity and power with an outstanding richness that fills the mouth completely. Better than 2009 or 2010? It sort of sits between the two. The power of 2009 and finesse of 2010. A real must have and I think the price will be down on last year, but I worry about being able to buy enough. Heavenly happiness!
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Chateau Canon,
For laying down,
Simply irresistible. Well, possibly, if the price can be controlled! This is really sumptuous and pure. Hedonistic is not an adjective I have used often this year. Words like “firm” “grip” “structure” “tannic pile-up” are more scattered over the 350 or so wines we tried. This however is the antitheses of words like that. If this can come in at around £600 per case, bite its arm off. Fingers crossed.
(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director)
(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director)
Chateau Palmer,
For laying down,
Palmer is a First Growth in everything but a 1855 Medal. I don’t think it has always been, although there are some fabulous famous older vintages. I don’t think it reached the heady height until the wine making was taken over by Thomas Deroux, a man who strives for total perfection. He really has taken something very special and created an Adonis. I think if the Gods had been just a little more kind this year with the weather, he would have achieved that again with his 2011. Climatics aside this is a truly outstanding wine and one of the few stars of this tricky year. Pure, intense but with focussed power that is rare anywhere this year. Rich but not blousey, perfumed but not tarty. Beautiful precision that’s heavenly to try.
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Le Pin,
For laying down,
Le Pin 2011 boasts an intense nose of cedar with very slight hints of the new oak that will meld into the wine during elevage. On the palate, it is rich and firm with both redcurrant and brambly fruit and a touch of spice. The finish is very impressively long and extremely intense. This is a wine of supreme intensity but without overt weight, and it looks to be an outstanding Le Pin made with a new precision from Jacques Thienpont's new chai. This is top of the tree in Pomerol.
Nicholas Pegna, Berrys’ Asia
Nicholas Pegna, Berrys’ Asia
Ready, but will improve,
OK, OK. You've made your point. Yes you have nailed it again for the fourth year in a row. What would you like me to say? Yes, the wine you are making does surpass the place out the back where you once stabled your horses. This 2011 is fabulously defined, with the finesse and elegance of Michelangelo’s David.
A masculine, yet ultimately feminine beauty in perfect equilibrium, harmony, power and grace. Please, please just make it affordable for us mere mortals this year. Simply magnificent.
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
A masculine, yet ultimately feminine beauty in perfect equilibrium, harmony, power and grace. Please, please just make it affordable for us mere mortals this year. Simply magnificent.
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Chateau Calon Segur,
For laying down,
2000 Calon-Ségur was the first wine I ever tasted from barrel and I can still remember the wine jumping from the glass.
It is this bounce, this freshness, that I look for in Calon and, whilst the 2011 might not show the ripeness of 2009 or the concentration of 2010, it shows the exquisite precision and purity that is the hallmark of this property.
Cassis and a hint of spice on the nose is followed by an intense, cool and lifted mouth that for me is pure St Estèphe.
Stylistically this is the opposite of Cos, though equally impressive in its own, more elegantly classic style.
Joss Fowler, Fine Wine Team
It is this bounce, this freshness, that I look for in Calon and, whilst the 2011 might not show the ripeness of 2009 or the concentration of 2010, it shows the exquisite precision and purity that is the hallmark of this property.
Cassis and a hint of spice on the nose is followed by an intense, cool and lifted mouth that for me is pure St Estèphe.
Stylistically this is the opposite of Cos, though equally impressive in its own, more elegantly classic style.
Joss Fowler, Fine Wine Team
Chateau Montrose,
For laying down,
We usually struggle with tasting Montrose this early on in its life. It’s not only because it is the most Northerly “Super Second” and really tends to need that shot of Indian Summer to finish it off, but you also try a couple of their other wines first which are ok, but very firm, structured, tannic and ungenerous affairs and when you come to taste La Dame and the Grand Vin your mouth is coated with high levels of tannin and acidity.
However, this year, the Grand Vin brushes away everything in its path with its rich, multidimensional, complex, and to be honest, glorious weight, power and fruit. I think the team were a little split on this, but this Montrose for me is more subtle and refined, and consequently far more rewarding than the dynamic duo of 2009/2010. It may also surprise us with a reasonably affordable price too. Fabulous.
Simon Staples, Asia Wine Director
However, this year, the Grand Vin brushes away everything in its path with its rich, multidimensional, complex, and to be honest, glorious weight, power and fruit. I think the team were a little split on this, but this Montrose for me is more subtle and refined, and consequently far more rewarding than the dynamic duo of 2009/2010. It may also surprise us with a reasonably affordable price too. Fabulous.
Simon Staples, Asia Wine Director
Chateau Lynch-Bages,
Ready, but will keep,
“Best one yet”! was my on the ground note for the superb second wine. A real joy. There is a similarity here between Ch. Palmer and Alter Ego and Lynch Bages and Echo. Like Alter Ego, Echo doesn’t take itself too seriously. It too is approachable, soft, succulent, moreish and probably, a little worryingly, too quaffable. (I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it!) Phenomenally enjoyable, hope the price tag will merit my gushings!
(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director)
(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director)
Chateau Mouton Rothschild,
Ready, but will improve,
Perhaps unfairly for the more elegant d’Armailhac, this was the first wine tasted in the Mouton flight. Given the strength of the Grand Vin it is no surprise that this is a deeply intense second wine with great power, concentration and focus. The palate drives a core of bright blackcurrant and darker cassis flavours which are picked up gracefully on the long finish. This is one to buy and enjoy whilst waiting for the Grand Vin.
(Jake Dean, Berrys’ Fine Wine Sales Director)
(Jake Dean, Berrys’ Fine Wine Sales Director)
Chateau Latour,
For laying down,
Up there with, and surpassing many Second Growths, and even a couple of Firsts, Les Forts is a truly fabulous wine. Silky, super fine tannins cover a dense, sweet core of vibrant, racy and ripe fruit. It is a fabulous wine this year, only a tiny way behind the stunning 2009 and 2010. Hopefully, restrained pricing on this might bring it down enough for us mere mortals to be able to try.
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Chateau Gruaud Larose,
Ready, but will improve,
I was brought up on Ch. Gruaud Larose. I remember the 1983, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90 all with great fondness. I was mocked by my colleagues quite a lot. “Wouldn’t you like some fruit in your wine” or other such “quips”. I think it rude and a little unkind, but I sort of see their point with “Old Gruaud”.
But since 2005 I’ve fallen in love with it again in a different way. The 2011 is along the same lines. A major density of sweet, black fruit, with real weight and layers. Creamy and intoxicating. Rounded, plump and charming. Old Gruaud’s good, the new era is Great!
Simon Staples, Asia Wine Director
But since 2005 I’ve fallen in love with it again in a different way. The 2011 is along the same lines. A major density of sweet, black fruit, with real weight and layers. Creamy and intoxicating. Rounded, plump and charming. Old Gruaud’s good, the new era is Great!
Simon Staples, Asia Wine Director
Chateau Pichon Baron,
For laying down,
Since 2000, Ch. Pichon-Longueville Baron has been a strong performer in the best vintages, but this 2011 shows that they can also do it in more challenging years. They really are making the most of their great terroir, a weight of controlled and focused fruit on the palate (which few are able to rival), layered with wonderful creamy texture which is lifted and enhanced on a prolonged, powerful and fresh finish. For me, this is amongst the wines of the vintage. Superb.
Jake Dean - Fine Wine Sales Director
Jake Dean - Fine Wine Sales Director
Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste,
Ready, but will improve,
My second placed wine, and also second in the Pauillac flight behind Ch. Pichon-Baron. Lightness of touch here. Cleanly made but with traditional restraint – nothing pushed. Cedary and savoury, with freshness and detail on the finish. Real style and breed. Fantastically drinkable. I can’t stress enough what a bargain this is – it is absurdly cheap for those people that want to drink proper Bordeaux in 6 or 7 years’ time.
Philip Moulin, Fine Wine Buyer
Pretty close to the top of my list of personal buys from the vintage. Fabulous intensity, purity and complexity combination, all lying within a dense red fruit core that seems endless on the finish. Xavier, I don’t know quite know what you have done over the last few vintages but please keep it up. A cellar must have!
Simon Staples - Sales Director, Asia
Philip Moulin, Fine Wine Buyer
Pretty close to the top of my list of personal buys from the vintage. Fabulous intensity, purity and complexity combination, all lying within a dense red fruit core that seems endless on the finish. Xavier, I don’t know quite know what you have done over the last few vintages but please keep it up. A cellar must have!
Simon Staples - Sales Director, Asia
Ready, but will improve,
We have consistently flagged up the progress made at this Fourth Growth St Julien estate in recent years and this vintage shows superbly the technical expertise which underpins their success. The bouquet shows intense focus, and on the palate there is great precision, with a tightly-knit core of sweet, ripe, berry fruit.
There is a very fine weave on the palate, a silky texture and a real concentration drawn from the low yield, which is around 18% below the figure for 2010. The tannins are abundant but are extremely fine, and this wine should age well for 15-20 years. Owner Patrick Maroteaux places this below the great vintages such as 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010, but above 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
There is a very fine weave on the palate, a silky texture and a real concentration drawn from the low yield, which is around 18% below the figure for 2010. The tannins are abundant but are extremely fine, and this wine should age well for 15-20 years. Owner Patrick Maroteaux places this below the great vintages such as 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010, but above 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Chateau Langoa Barton,
Ready, but will improve,
I haven’t bought Ch. Langoa Barton or Ch. Léoville-Barton for my own cellar since 2005 and I wonder why. It is not because they have been ‘aggressive’ in their pricing policy, far from it, they are consistently being harangued by their neighbours to dramatically put their prices up.
Then is it the quality? No, again both have been perfectly ‘sound’, ah but that’s it! Over the last few years they haven’t stood out from the crowd enough. This year they both do, and I think the simple reason is the style of the vintage. It is not a flamboyant, dramatic vintage like 2009 or 2010.
It is classic and that is why classic wine makers have come to the fore and ended up back on my shopping list again. Ch. Langoa Barton, the feminine seductress, using its sweet, dense red fruit core to entrap and entice. Ch. Léoville-Barton in contrast, a yang to Langoa’s yin. Rich, dense, unforgiving, powerful black fruit dominant. This is a really profound brace this year.
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Then is it the quality? No, again both have been perfectly ‘sound’, ah but that’s it! Over the last few years they haven’t stood out from the crowd enough. This year they both do, and I think the simple reason is the style of the vintage. It is not a flamboyant, dramatic vintage like 2009 or 2010.
It is classic and that is why classic wine makers have come to the fore and ended up back on my shopping list again. Ch. Langoa Barton, the feminine seductress, using its sweet, dense red fruit core to entrap and entice. Ch. Léoville-Barton in contrast, a yang to Langoa’s yin. Rich, dense, unforgiving, powerful black fruit dominant. This is a really profound brace this year.
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Chateau Lynch-Bages,
For laying down,
Since the inspired 2006 Lynch-Bages broke the mould there has been no looking back for this great estate. Don’t get me wrong, it was wonderful before, and if you have been lucky enough to have tried awesome vintages such as 1982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1996 and 2000 you will know what I mean, but since the unveiling of the 2006 there are extra elements and dimensions lurking at the bottom of a glass of Lynch-Bages. 2011 is absolutely no exception.
Fabulous intensity and concentration. Glorious grip. Super fine tannins dance around the palate and rest elegantly upon the layers of multi-coloured red and black fruit. This is a very serious wine, not as in it’s stern and broody, and too thoughtful and ponderous for its own good, far from it. I mean this would be a great 2009 or 2010 in virtually every châteaux in Bordeaux. Powerful, complex, decadent and compelling. It’s rock 'n roll wine making and Lynch-Bages is playing like Led Zeppelin in 1971.
If they ever re-classified Bordeaux again, Lynch-Bages would fly up the charts quicker than any other château. Outstanding!
Simon Staples, Asia Fine Wine Director
Fabulous intensity and concentration. Glorious grip. Super fine tannins dance around the palate and rest elegantly upon the layers of multi-coloured red and black fruit. This is a very serious wine, not as in it’s stern and broody, and too thoughtful and ponderous for its own good, far from it. I mean this would be a great 2009 or 2010 in virtually every châteaux in Bordeaux. Powerful, complex, decadent and compelling. It’s rock 'n roll wine making and Lynch-Bages is playing like Led Zeppelin in 1971.
If they ever re-classified Bordeaux again, Lynch-Bages would fly up the charts quicker than any other château. Outstanding!
Simon Staples, Asia Fine Wine Director
Chateau Latour,
For laying down,
Red wine of the vintage yet again for me, just pipping a Majestic Mouton, and the two may well bump shoulders again over the next 40 years or so. Once again this is quite magical. Heavenly aromas of sweet black cherry and blackberry, with a mere waft of creamy vanilla. Fabulous dense and rich with a huge mouth feel to it. Taut and firm but also sexy and alluring. This is profound and I think rivals some of the modern greats of Latour. Not perhaps the 2009 or 2010 but I think it’s up there with 2005 and 2002. If only we could buy enough and that I could afford it. Hey ho, at least I got to try it. Fabulous.
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Chateau Lafite Rothschild,
For laying down,
A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot and it’s easy to see that the technical team here think very highly of the quality of their Cabernet this year. Estate Manager Charles Chevallier has confided in the past that he would much rather not show his wine this early as it always benefits from a bit longer in barrel. Whenever I have had the chance to taste the young wine in both April and June I have always been amazed at how much development it undergoes in those extra two months. The bouquet exhibits a piercing purity of cassis and crushed rocks, while on the palate there is an extraordinary precision and finesse. The quality of tannins, in particular, is remarkable, and if the wine puts on weight during maturation, as it always does, then this could be turn out to be a Lafite of enormous refinement and elegance.
Chateau Pontet-Canet,
For laying down,
There are a handful of châteaux in 2011 that surpass the quality of certain of the First Growths and Pontet-Canet is certainly in that elite group. It has a sweet richness and exotic weight that totally defies the vintage. Creamy, yet plump and fruity with such purity and freshness it really does take your breath away. I wouldn’t say it’s better or worse than 2010 or 2009, just that it has exceptional quality and it’s different. Cooler, possibly more elegant but just as rewarding. I described Lynch-Bages, its neighbour, as Led Zeppelin, in their pomp of the early 1970’s. If that’s the case, Pontet-Canet must be Pink Floyd a few years later, not quite as rock 'n roll, but slightly more mellow and considered. But, as no music collection would be devoid of either band, no collection of great wine cannot have either châteaux in. Both radiant, powerful and essential. Superb.
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Chateau Leoville Las Cases,
For laying down,
I have little doubt that this is one of the best wines of the vintage based on our April tastings. It is quite subtle at this stage but seems multi-faceted with bags of potential complexity. The bouquet shows crunchy red fruit, with considerable intensity, while on the palate there is amazing precision and purity.
The crisp acidity imbues the wine with great freshness, the tannins are plentiful but exceptionally fine, and there is a high level of persistence, always a hallmark of a very fine wine. It needs age, but looks to be in the tradition of the finest wines from this noble estate.
The crisp acidity imbues the wine with great freshness, the tannins are plentiful but exceptionally fine, and there is a high level of persistence, always a hallmark of a very fine wine. It needs age, but looks to be in the tradition of the finest wines from this noble estate.
Ready, but will improve,
This is an old-style, classic St Julien built to last, with masses of structure and potential. The 65% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend accounts for its firm, curranty aroma as well as the crisp, fresh acidity on the palate. There is a real sense of density to the core of the wine, a lovely persistence on the finish and considerable class overall.
Once again, this château punches well above its weight. This is no longer the hidden gem of St Julien as the five previous vintages have propelled this wine to the forefront of the appellation. For me it is up there with Léoville-Barton and Gruaud-Larose and very often outperforms them. Black jammy fruits abound on the nose, with some sweetness and intensity. Lovely, intense black berries coat the palate with lots of focus and intensity. A very generous yet very well balanced wine and a very long finish
Max Lalondrelle, Berrys' Fine Wine Buying Director
Once again, this château punches well above its weight. This is no longer the hidden gem of St Julien as the five previous vintages have propelled this wine to the forefront of the appellation. For me it is up there with Léoville-Barton and Gruaud-Larose and very often outperforms them. Black jammy fruits abound on the nose, with some sweetness and intensity. Lovely, intense black berries coat the palate with lots of focus and intensity. A very generous yet very well balanced wine and a very long finish
Max Lalondrelle, Berrys' Fine Wine Buying Director
Chateau Batailley,
Ready, but will keep,
Holy Frijoles! They have done it again! A sumptuous, sophisticated triumph! Last year I described it (and was mocked mercilessly by colleagues in BB&R, the UK and International Trade) as an attractive woman fulfilling her potential and going out on the town in a little black dress. So much so, people called in asking for the “little black dress wine”! Now, I’m not going to say that 2011 Batailley is better than 2010, because last years was brilliant, but in the context of this vintage it’s as good. Real sweetness, charm, finesse, but with a beautiful Pauillac oomph! Equal to or surpasses in quality wines that will be twice to ten times its price. It’s bottles, magnums and double magnums time again I fear. This time she’s going out again but wearing Prada and Jimmy Choos!
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director
Chateau Margaux,
Ready, but will keep,
The emphasis here is very much on finesse, not power. There is a wealth of ripe, red fruit on the nose with a piercing degree of purity. On the palate the fruit is again wonderfully pure and beautifully layered, with lovely interplay between the different grape varieties and the oak.
Texturally the wine is very soft and graceful because the tannins, although abundant, are exceptionally fine-grained. The finish is all about elegance, but the wine has great harmony and persistence and clearly has a considerable future.
Texturally the wine is very soft and graceful because the tannins, although abundant, are exceptionally fine-grained. The finish is all about elegance, but the wine has great harmony and persistence and clearly has a considerable future.
Chateau d'Issan,
Ready, but will improve,
Emmanuel Cruse continues to take this property to new heights. Rigorous selection of only the best grapes led to just 57% of the crop being used in the first wine, which is composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Merlot. The nose shows excellent intensity with both red and black fruits to the fore; on the palate there is a real density of fruit with impressive length on the finish. Tannins are plentiful but are fine-grained so do not appear austere or aggressive. One of the real finds in the Margaux appellation.
Berry Bros. & Rudd (July 2019)