Institute of Masters of Wine - 2011 Bdx Tasting

Hyatt, San Francisco
Tasted Wednesday, January 20, 2016 by RajivAyyangar with 944 views

Introduction

Notes and map of the tasting: https://www.evernote.com/l/ABbthQkkhP9He7mr2fdT4zdJ0SwsZyP6ILo

A superb tasting. Well-organized, civil, with strong wines across-the-board.

The 2011 vintage was cold overall, and a bit difficult - the crop was small. Merlot was generally more dominant than the average vintage.
The vintage is decently-regarded, but suffered from prices that didn't lower sufficiently from the highs of 2009 and 2011. Sauternes/Barsac were generally well-regarded as part of a killer trio of vintages - 2009, 2010, 2011.

I tasted 56 wines total:
30 wines from the Medoc
12 from the Libournais
11 Sauternes
3 Graves (one white)

The tables were organized by commune, which provided an excellent opportunity to fill in my picture of the different communes. Here are my impressions:

St. Emilion - merlot dominant, mineral and gravelly.
Pomerol - very Merlot. more fruit-forward. easily confused for new world.
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St Estephe - Tannic structure of Pauillac but without the weight in the midpalate, without the fleshiness, makes it seem a bit more austere.
Pauillac - dark cedary cassis. powerful and tannic.
St. Julien - like Pauillac, but there’s a silkiness to the tannins that are a bit more subdued. Partway between Pauillac and Margaux. Integration.
Margaux - Aromatic, floral, almost red-fruit. Softer and thinner on the palate. softer tannins.

Quality is difficult to judge under these conditions, though this was by far the best large tasting I've ever been to. Take these with a grain of salt. If I noted it as great, I'm sure it's great. If it didn't show well, there are many reasons it might be better than I've noted.

RIGHT BANK
Around 9.5
-Cheval Blanc
-Angelus - consulant:Rolland

Between 9 and 9.5
-Nenin (Pomerol)

Around 9
-La Fleur (St. Emilion)
-Clinet (Pomerol) c:Rolland
-Clos des Jacobins (St. Emilion) c:Rolland

Between 8.5 and 9
-Ch. du Domaine de L’Eglise (Pomerol)
-Dassault (St. Emilion Grand Cru)
-Corbin (St. Emilion Grand Cru) c:Rolland

Around 8.5
-Clos Rene (Pomerol)
-Fonroque (St. Emilion Grand Cru)

LEFT BANK
Around 9.5
-Leoville Las Cases

Between 9 and 9.5
-Montrose
-Leoville Barton

Around 9
-Pontet-Canet
-Lynch-Bages
-Cos d'Estournel
-Brane-Cantenac
-Boyd-Cantenac

Between 8.5 and 9
-Leoville Poyferre c:Rolland
-Beychevelle (St. Julien)
-Lagrange (St. Julien)
-d'Issan
-Batailley
-Cantemerle (Haut-Medoc)
-Smith Haut Lafitte (Pessac-Leognan) c:Rolland and Derenoncourt

Around 8.5
-Lafon-Rochet
-Calon-Segur
-Lascombes c:Rolland
-Haut-Bailly (Pessac)

SAUTERNES/BARSAC
Between 9 and 9.5
-d'Yquem

Around 9
-Guiraud

Between 8.5 and 9
-Myrat
-Coutet

Around 8.5
-Clos Haut-Peyraguey
-Doisy-Vedrines
-Suduiraut

GRAVES BLANC
Between 8.5 and 9
-Ch. de Fieuzal Blanc

Flight 1 - St. Emilion (8 Notes)

Merlot dominant, mineral and gravelly.

  • 2011 Château Angélus 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Intense merlot chocolate-covered cassis. Elevated acid. Elevated tannins.
    Around 9.5.

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  • 2011 Château Cheval Blanc 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    52% Cabernet Franc and 48% Merlot

    This was my first time tasting Cheval Blanc. You'd better believe I was paying attention.

    Distinct in style from other St. Emilions. Neither Right Bank nor Left Bank. Cab Franc dominant (Even though this vintage had 48% Merlot).

    More aromatically intense and complex than the Angelus, with absolutely classic floral stewed bell peppers - ripe and sweet. It's somewhat lighter in the mouth, more comparable to the Margaux's, but with high tannins and an impressively long finish.

    The acid is just moderate - it didn't have the nervoux verve that some of the more powerful wines had, especially from Pauillac, St. Estephe. Overall it wasn't obviously a tremendous wine, but I found it right up my alley. If you like the gloriously developed Chinons of Raffault, the old Taluaus, then you might like this more powerful take on Cab Franc.

    It called to mind a more powerful version of the 1990 Olga Raffault Chinon, with slightly more oak presence, more length, and more persistent structure.

    Score: Around 9.5. I don't know what this will do in time, but setting aside the hype this was some seriously delicious juice right now.

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  • 2011 Clos des Jacobins 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    (a Rolland wine)
    Deeply concentrated ruby. Ripe chocolate-covered cassis (merlot) notes, ripe blueberry, manure. Elevated tannins. Very good.

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  • 2011 Château Corbin St. Émilion Grand Cru 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    (a Rolland wine)
    Good flavor concentration, slightly fecal and weedy with harsh tannins.

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  • 2011 Château Dassault 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Intense merlot notes (chocolate-covered cassis) on the nose. A bit hollow on the back end of the palate. Elevated tannins.

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  • 2011 Château Faurie de Souchard 83 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Cooler, less ripe merlot. Soft.

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  • 2011 Château Fonroque 85 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Soft, with bright acid. Nice though.

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  • 2011 Château La Fleur St. Émilion Grand Cru 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Medium plus concentration ruby. Beautiful nose. Slightly stinky in a warm, barnyardy way. Dark, deep, and open. Elevated tannins.

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Flight 2 - Pomerol (4 Notes)

Very Merlot (chocolate-covered cassis). More fruit-forward than St. Emilions. Most easily confused for New World.

Flight 3 - Pauillac (7 Notes)

Dark cedary cassis. Powerful and tannic, with the savory, ripe midpalate to fill-in the structure.

Flight 4 - Margaux (9 Notes)

Aromatic, floral, almost red-fruited. Softer and thinner on the palate. softer tannins.

Flight 5 - St. Julien (9 Notes)

Like Pauillac, but with a silkiness to the tannins that are a bit more subdued. Partway between Pauillac and Margaux. Integration was a key concept here. Also the quality was impressively high.

Flight 6 - St. Estephe (4 Notes)

Tannic structure of Pauillac but without the weight in the mid-palate, without the fleshiness, the fruit - makes these wines seem a bit more austere.

Flight 7 - Graves (3 Notes)

I'm not sure what the stereotype here is. The wines were decent but didn't make a huge impression.

Flight 8 - Haut-Medoc (1 Note)

Values to be found here, perhaps?

Flight 9 - Sauternes (11 Notes)

There was tremendous variability in acid levels, which I find really important given the sweetness, oak, and alcohol (min 13%!) of Sauternes. The d'Yquem was the best, but by a hair.

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