While I would say that this is “better” than 07 and 02, but those two vintages at least had a charm to them for me. This vintage was very insipid and boring. The wines are solid and correct, but there is very little to them that says: I have something to say. The mid-palates on the lot of them were on the thinner side and there wasn’t too much depth either.
2011 UGC BORDEAUX TASTING - Bentley Reserve, San Francisco CA (1/25/2014)
I was looking forward to this tasting, if only to taste through the 2011 Sauternes which had a lot of hype to them. I expected the reds to be difficult, and indeed it was difficult to find wines worth buying. The sauternes were all great, though perhaps not to the level that I had hoped they would be (with some notable exceptions below).
White Bordeaux
All were decent to good, none were extraordinary. For the price, you can find better sauvignon blanc elsewhere. I really loved the Smith Haut Lafitte and the Larrivet Haut Brion.
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2011 Château de Chantegrive Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves
Cat piss, white fruit, blended style, intense nose; palate is a bit too oaked. Overall just ok. 87 (87 pts.) -
2011 Château Carbonnieux Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
More balanced, less intense nose; palate is flavorful, balanced, youthful; finish is med length. Good everyday drinker, and much less oaked than some 2005s that I’ve had before. 89 (89 pts.) -
2011 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Floral, aromatic, complex; rich palate, slight oak, fresh. Very good overall. 91 (91 pts.) -
2011 Château Pape Clément Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Fresher nose, lighter, stone fruit; medium body, balanced, great acids, some spice; med finish. Balanced but not all that inspiring. 89 (89 pts.) -
2011 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Fresh, sauv blanc blend; very fresh wine on the palate, good acid, but nothing stands out. A good food wine, but massively underperforms for the price. 89 (89 pts.) -
2011 Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
A little bit funky in the nose, very interesting, creamy, richness, vanilla; very fresh palate. A good wine. 90-91 (91 pts.)
Sauternes/Barsac
Clear winner: Fargues
Wines I love: Coutet, La Tour Blanche
Excellent, especially for their value: Lafaurie Peyraguey, Rayne-Vigneau
Poor showings: Guiraud, Suduiraut
Overall, for a vintage that was billed as the best thing since 2001, I’m sorry to say that I think that is an overstatement. There are a few minor exceptions. I think the Fargues in particular, possibly also the Coutet, are fabulous wines that will compete with the best in any vintage… but the once-in-a-generation type of quality is not present across the board as it was in 2001.
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2011 Château Coutet - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
Wonderful nose with freshness, floral, minerality; palate is sweet but fresh, painfully young but superb now, flavorful, spices; finish is medium-long. This was one of the highlights of the Sauternes lineup, and it’s always a pleasure to drink Coutet. Always a wine that goes very well with food. 93++ (93 pts.) -
2011 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
From a barrel sample, as this wine will not be formally bottled until June 2014. Richness, spiciness, fabulous flavor, density on the nose; palate has citrus, grapefruit, great density, extraordinary acidity, flows together superbly; finish is long. This is easily the top Sauternes of the UGC tasting, and it is one of the best young sauternes I’ve ever tasted. (Fantastically well put together for its age, which is when most Sauternes are quite awkward.) Once again, characteristic balance between opulence and elegance with just the right amount of acid. (Actually, a lot of acid on the palate, which is superb and takes this wine to another level). 95-97+ (95 pts.) -
2011 Château Guiraud - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Slight floral, not very intense; medium body, a bit of bitterness in midpalate; finish is medium length. This is a disappointment for Guiraud, and easily the poorest showing among the Sauternes in my opinion. Not bad, just not what it should be. 86 (86 pts.) -
2011 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Light gold color; good floral quality, mild intensity, white fruit; palate has minerality, light to medium bodied, good acidity. A very solid sauternes with good floral character that is characteristic of L-P. Very young still and needs time to come together and gain complexity, but this shows more spice and intensity than the Rayne-Vigneau nearby. This is a longer-ager, and a superb buy at the going price (low $20s per half bottle). 90-91 (91 pts.) -
2011 Château de Rayne-Vigneau - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Moderate intensity on the nose with good mix of density and minerally elegance; palate is elegant, less complex than the best but a fabulous effort, enjoyable. Overall this is showing really well now, very good balance, and would be a wonderful sauternes to buy and drink young and over the short to medium term (indeed, maybe the best of the lineup today to drink now). A very good value bottle. 90 (90 pts.) -
2011 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Surprisingly elegant on the nose; richness, full palate, but palate has a tiny bit of bitterness in the midpalate; med finish. Good, but a disappointment for Suduiraut. I’m hoping this will show much better when in bottle. 90 (90 pts.) -
2011 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Elegant Sauvignon blanc nose, good complexity, minerality, floral; palate is medium bodied, fresh, elegant, medium complexity; medium finish. LTB is not usually one of my favorites since the balance is often off, but this is very nice, well balanced, and is more elegant than expected. A real standout in 2011, and maybe among the best LTB that I’ve tried (along with the 2001). 92+ (92 pts.)
Red Bordeaux
Overall, a disappointment. Most were thin, acidic, tannic, had short/thin midpalates, and little fruit or character. There were some standouts though.
Wines I liked: Langoa Barton, Leoville Barton, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Canon La Gaffeliere
Good values, good wines: La Couspaude, d’Armailhac.
Brutal disappointments: Pichon Lalande, Figeac (what happened?), Leoville Poyferre, Lynch Bages. Even Clerc Milon, generally one of the wines I love, was not showing well.
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2011 Château Figeac - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Dense aromas, but nonspecific plummy fruit, blackberry, surprisingly modern; palate is young, tannic, a bit thin; short-med finish. Not much here now. Disappointing. 87-88 (88 pts.) -
2011 Château La Couspaude - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Ripe, spices, cherry, red fruit; soft red fruit, tannins surprisingly approachable; med finish. Maybe a good value wine for medium term drinking depending on price? 90 (90 pts.) -
2011 Château La Conseillante - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Nice balanced spicy nose, blackberry; palate has nice texture but not quite the silky smooth texture of Pomerol in the best years, a bit thin on the medium length finish. 90 (90 pts.) -
2011 Château Gazin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Nice complexity to the nose, red spices; palate is thin and acidic. Not silky at all, and the palate is nearly undrinkably acidic without fruit. 80 (80 pts.) -
2011 Château Malescot St. Exupéry - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Purple color; nose is a bit hidden; palate is a bit thin especially in the midpalate. Not a good vintage for malescot. 85 (85 pts.) -
2011 Château Langoa Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Nice complexity to the nose with good intensity, red fruit, a bit of minerality; palate has medium density, good red fruits, some blackberry, youthful but well balanced. 90-91 (91 pts.) -
2011 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Darker purple color; dense behind a facade with black fruits and minerality, very young; full bodied palate, great black fruits, graphite, limestone minerality, fabulous approachable tannins; med finish. 92+ (92 pts.) -
2011 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
A bit of reticent red fruits; palate is thin and acidic, very tannic. May turn out to be something good, but I can’t tell. 85 (85 pts.) -
2011 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Ruby color; dense red fruits with a bit of spice, very nice but young; palate has good red and black fruits, structured tannins but good primary flavor, flavor tapers toward the finish; med finish. 89 (89 pts.) -
2011 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Purple color; nose has some slight spice, good black fruit; palate is medium bodied, very tannic, respectable black fruits. Good but unexciting. 87 (87 pts.) -
2011 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Flat nose; palate is tannic and unapproachable. Difficult to evaluate. 85 (85 pts.) -
2011 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Nice complexity on the nose with cedar, spice, black fruit; palate is full bodied, good fruit, tannic, but good underlying flavor. 90-92 (91 pts.) -
2011 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Ruby color, deep; a bit of a thin nose, acidic; palate has some red fruit but overall kind of thin. 88 (88 pts.) -
2011 Château d’Armailhac - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Deep black fruits, blackberry; good soft density on the palate, black fruit, excellent balance. A great value wine. 90+ (90 pts.) -
2011 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Nice black fruits, classic density; palate is a little thin but has stuffing dependent on price. 89 (89 pts.) -
2011 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Lovely spicy nose, red fruit; smooth rich red fruit palate. Very nice, complex. 91-92 (91 pts.) -
2011 Château Branaire-Ducru - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Ripe modern styled black fruits; palate is a little soft, red and black fruits; short finish. 89 (89 pts.) -
2011 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Aromatic with nice green notes, floral, jasmine; palate is a bit austere, but good underlying fruit. Very nice. 91-92 (91 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
My wife and I went to the UGC tasting in SF yesterday. K&L again did a very good job running the tasting. It appeared to be much less crowded than the last two years. I also had read the reviews by Matt, Panos and Mike G. and had a list of wines to try, based on their comments. Thank you, gentlemen!
I think there were a few good values amongst the whites, with the Carbonnieux and the Latour-Martillac being my favorites. For the reds, they were definitely less concentrated than the 2009’s and 2010’s. Most of the pourers opined that the 2011’s will drink well for 15 years while the 2009’s and 2010’s sleep.
My favorite Red’s were, for the most part, from St. Julien and Pessac. The Leoville Barton and Langoa Barton were both very sleek, polished and well made. From Pessac, Chevalier, Haut Bailly, and Smith Haut Lafitte were my favorites. Others that I liked, in no particular order, were Pichon Lalande, Canon La Gaffeliere, Branaire-Ducru and Canon.
The clear highlight for me were the Sauternes. Tasting and judging young Sauternes if very difficult for me. Most of the pourers were comparing '11 to '09 and '01. My three clear favorites were the Coutet, Fargues and La Tour Blanche. The Coutet seems to be the most food-friendly of the group, while the Fargues appeared to have the most power and concentration. The La Tour Blanche had impeccable balance, and reminded me a bit of their '01. The Lafarie and Rayne Vigneau were also very good, as was the Suduiraut.
All in all, it was another fun and educational tasting!
Thanks,
Ed