Bentley Reserve, San Francisco CA
Tasted Saturday, January 25, 2014 by aagrawal with 615 views
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).
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.
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.
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.
2011 Château de Chantegrive Blanc 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves
Cat piss, white fruit, blended style, intense nose; palate is a bit too oaked. Overall just ok. 87
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2011 Château Carbonnieux Blanc 89 Points
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
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2011 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Floral, aromatic, complex; rich palate, slight oak, fresh. Very good overall. 91
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2011 Château Pape Clément Blanc 89 Points
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
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2011 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 89 Points
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
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2011 Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion Blanc 91 Points
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
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