Purchased during a cellar sale, this was a very nice bottle showing strong, youthful aromantics; excellent concentration; and a big mouthful of relatively uncomplicated, if dense and pure, black fruit. Nice tannins, good acidity, and excellent balance, too. The mid-palate and finish were a bit weak, but this was very solid for the vintage, and it was a much more complete wine than the 2004 Pichon Lalande I had recently. As with that wine, the QPR here is, of course, atrocious (it’s really no better than a 2009 or 2010 Cantemerle), but it was a very pleasant wine, and I’m glad to have tried it as I continue to explore vintages of Pichon Lalande. 13% ABV (very good/***/16/92)
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I’m withThe Player on this one. Opened under Coravin in February and checked back in again tonight. Still the same. Belies the vintage. Dark blackcurrant colour. Some oak with steely, graphite, blackberry and cassis nose. Masculine in nature, yet with a degree of elegance and tarry richness that left me sipping constantly till the glass was empty. Black fruit finish, dry in a pleasant way.
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Very impressive power to this wine given the less than stellar vintage. Blackish crimson cor, decanted amd drank over 2 hours. Nose of blackberries, currants, cassis, graphite and pepper. Solid on the palate, more masculine than the typical Lalande but elegant, powerful mid palate and a long finish with decent complexity and dry tannins fully coated by black fruit. Quite nice.
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Nose of black currant and black olives. Dark fruits, dark cherry, and black licorice slide into strong minerality with white pepper, flakes of mica, and light acidity. Graphite, iron, and iodine lead into long, caressing tannins with light blackberry and cherry notes peeking out from underneath. Two hour decant, served with grilled hamburgers.
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Bordeaux 2011 - 10 Years On - 30 Reds: All tasted blind, not decanted. A few observations: 1) As expected, it's a mediocre vintage with many wines lacking depth and mid palate weight of great vintages. My average score for the reds was 91.3 pts vs group scores at more recent horizontals for 2010 (93.0), 2000 (92.7) and 2009 (93.9). 2) I expected more green/unripe notes and drying tannins but that is not the case (hence the solid 91.3 average). Most wines showed well-made (with only 6 out of 30 reds rated below 90 pts). 3) Left bank (average 91.8 pts) clearly trumps right bank (90.6) thanks to more mid palate substance. 4) Virtually no wine showed a) over extracted and already dying and b) with far too much ripeness. Both 2009/2010 (and 2015/2018) have several wines with these problem. 5) Most wines are in a good drinking window. Although not yet with tertiary complexity, the structure has softened and the wines are open (even without extended decanting). 6) Unfortunately (due to price), the best reds were Le Pin (97+ pts), Margaux (96), Petrus (96) and Mouton (95). 7) Good vintage for Sauternes it seems (we tasted only two) with a surprising Giraud (96 pts) beating a too sweet Yquem (93).
TN: Very mineral-driven nose, missing a bit of fruit and overall not expressive enough. The contrary on the palate which is dominated by an intense, candied strawberry fruit core. Especially intense on the attack, the wine thins out towards the mid palate and has a rather short finish. Quite simple but also quite fun to drink and with fine tannins and a well-integrated acidity as well as an airy structure. Overall ok and this bottle was clearly better than a bottle back a few months ago (rated 90 pts) which showed more astringent.
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24 Vintages of Pichon Lalande: All wines tasted blind. A few general observations: 1) Most wines showed the typical Pichon Lalande elegance. This is certainly one of the more delicate and elegant Paulliacs. 2) The relatively high Merlot content (often 20-30%) showed in many wines with fine, fresh rhubarb, rosehip and floral aromas I wouldn’t necessarily associate with a Medoc - all adding to the sensuous quality of the wines. 3) A few vintages showed the very sexy burnt sugar/coffee notes you associate with the 1982 Lalande or a Mouton or a Cheval Blanc - unfortunately, not to an extent and with an intensity to truly excite. 4) Following the legendary 1982 and until the most recent vintages (starting with 2014 but especially with 2016) there are three decades of pleasant Pichon Lalandes but hardly any vintage has the depth and length of truly great wines. The best wine tonight was the 2009 (rated 95+ points) with many more in the 92-94 point category.
TN: Nothing to exciting to find in this vintage. Like all 2011s, this is fresh, light and airy but it also had a bit of an astringent quality I didn’t like. I guess you really have to go to the big names in this vintage to find a spectacular wine (think Cheval). While not bad, this was rather simple and I didn’t took detailed notes on the aromas. Fine tannins, a bit too dominant acidity and the previously mentioned airy texture and feel.
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Dark garnet purple colored, full bodied, concentrated with weight and power, rich black fruits with blackberry, dark-chocolate, cassis, spice, tobacco and hints of cedar with firm tannins on a long, intense finish. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/06/pour-boy-wine-dinner-at-del-ray-beach.html From the Reserve List at DelRay Beach Wine Room
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Annoying green bell pepper on nose. This unripe scent almost destroyed the wine. But the chateau pose the finest techniques to save it from a total failure: High portion of French oaks gave more sesame, coffee and spices, cherry and currant fragrance on the mid-palate, chalky in the lean finish. Quite high acidity lean the wine extravagantly and its unripe phenolic matters hardly backboned.
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Commanderie Council dinner. Pichon Lalande really managed this vintage well. The wine is of course not a blast of fruit with lush mid palate but it is not thin either. The palate is precise with lots of dark fruit and a touch of toasty oak. Very plesant.
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Focused, elegant nose with black currant, lilac, and violets. Leathery layers of dry black fruit and minerals with mineral ore notes. Long, lacy tannins with plum, dried herb, black and red currants, spice, and light acidity. An elegant wine with enough complexity it's difficult to write notes on.
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The last time I tasted this was out of barrel in 2012, so it’s fun to revisit and see how it’s come along. I’m 2012, I was surprised by the depth and balance given the vintage and I’m equally pleased today. Though still a bit young for my taste, this is fun to drink now - lots of energy and swagger. Those nose shows an intense, immediately-open melange of blackberry, blueberry, acacia, oak, and a hint of lavender. Lush and juicy on the plate; the tannins are already soft. Beautifully fruit-filled finish. Well done, Pichon Comtesse. 93+?
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Day of the Goat: A Pichon Lalande Fractured Vertical (Leo & Cheryl's Place, Mpls, MN): Very dark red/purple. PNP, Drank a glass in a flight with the '02 and '04. Note taking was fading at this point. Herbal, some green notes still, cassis, tobacco, graphite, medium-full to full bodied, youthful with wood and some firmer tannins. I'm not so sure about the drinking window suggested by VFC of 2025 to 2075 though. That might be pushing it a bit. 91(+)
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Popped and poured. Surprisingly open. Medium to full bodied. Classic. Nose of black currant and lead pencil. The palate is strict with flavors of black currant, tobacco, lead pencil and some green notes. The finish is a bit abbreviated compared to what you might expect. This is a very good everyday drinking bordeaux today but I don’t expect it to develop into anything marvelous.
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Yes its an “off” vintage. We all know that. Initially the nose was heavy alcohol and smoke. After a 2hr decant, things changed. The wine was very balanced. Nose was smokey and there were hints of vanilla. On the palate it was smooth and had a deep earth/black cherry finish. If you pay attention, youll pick up the vanilla. For an off vintage, this was impressive.
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Drink this now, while waiting for the 2009 and 2010 to come around. Medium/full bodied, fresh, lively, soft and silky, with an hour in the decanter, the wine really hits the spot.
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Trinity Wine Fair: The wine shows dense black fruit, mocca, rich with oak with black olives and bits of chocolate. The palate is rich, with ripe red and black cherry, oak and chocolate, firm tannins, medium body and finish.
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Elegant nose with tobacco, leather and cedar. Clean and smooth mouthfeel, elegant style. Accessible vintage, friendly tannins, integrated fruit, young and fresh. Minimal maturity notes, moderate acidity. Pure.
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Slightly herbaceous on the first sniff, from there you find the tobacco, cedar chest and fresh red berries. Medium bodied, forward and already easy to drink, the wine finishes with soft textures, followed by cherries and earth in the end notes. Made from blending 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, the picking was quite fast, taking place from September 13 to September 28.
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MW Institute 2011 Bordeaux Tasting: Dark and brooding nose with some spice and blackberry. The palate is serious and structured, there is good depth to it and the length is great. This has all the right components to shine, it just needs time, maybe more than any other wine tonight.
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The Institute of Masters of Wine Annual Bordeaux Tasting - 2011 Vintage (Vintners Hall, London): A very classy and charming wine here. Even at number 86 with all the palate fatigue this shown like the star it is. Elegant, well round, IB tune and in a way delicate. Good fruit density, freshness and a lot of structure. A. Erg solid result given the vintage and second to Montrose for us outside the premier . (92-93)
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Blind tasting of 2011 and 2012 red Bordeaux. Very different to when I tasted this wine about 18 months ago (non-blind). Quite oaky, red fruit, spices, flowers. Quite delicate on the nose. On the palate very fresh without showing much fruit nor generosity. Tight and rather closed but also worryingly hollow. Drying finish, not overly persistent. 87-89(+?)
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Checking in on some younger Bordeaux and other treasures with a fellow collector friend. Medium Ruby. Nose of cedar, a touch of barnyard, dark fruit, coffee, oak, very much in the well known Lafite/Lalande cigar box style. On the palate this is quite light on the mid palate but the balance is good and the tannins are soft. A very elegant wine without hard edges, great with food. Wait till 2017 and then drink it over the next 5 years while waiting for the 2010 to come around.
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Lovely sweet fruit, hints of oak - deep and rich on the nose. Great attack, rich and broad, then a little spicy and mineral, grippy with a smooth long finish. What a wonderful wine - one of the very top ones on the left bank in 2011 for sure. 93-95+
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With a nose consisting of truffle, blackberry, vanilla bean and cassis, the wine is forward, soft, open and shows freshness in the cassis and dark red berry profile. The wine ends with a sweet, black cherry and chocolate finish.
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One of the top wines here, if not the top wine. Really elegant and expressive fruit here, refined tannins, good acid, really beautifully composed and charming. It was probably a good choice to go almost all cab in this vintage. A bdx lover's bdx.
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Union Des Grand Crus Tasting 2011 Vintage, nose of red and black cherry fruit, red and black currants, same on the palate, slightly fruit forward, subdued fruit, seems a little thin, a little simple, medium/big body, soft tannins showing, medium finish, not a great vintage and not a great Pichon Lalande.
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2011 Vintage Tasting (Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles): Along with Leoville Poyferré, the Pichon Lalande is one of the better 2011 wines. The Lalande exhibits wonderful balance, youthful minerality, and tannins completely submerged by the fruit. Flavors of black cherries, dark fruits, and berries. This will drink very well with 10 - 12 years of age, while you are waiting for the 2009s and 2010s to mature.
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2011 UGC Bordeaux Tasting (Bentley Reserve, San Francisco CA): 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
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UGC 2011 (The Drake Hotel - Chicago, IL): Found myself wishing this had more complexity. This was very simplistic and one noted with big, dark, dense blackberries on the palate. Put it away for a while I suppose.
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Bordeaux 2011 from bottle (Park Hyatt Hotel, Washington D.C.): I generally adore the Comtesse, but feel like the green pepper aspect is almost too present. Some could interpret it as herbal, but I think we have some underripe tannin. What makes me hope for the future is that the mid palate is juicy and the texture is finely grained and displays elegance one expects, but I think that they did a better job in, say, 2008. This does remind me of 2007... barely makes 91 points, but it may come together with time in bottle.
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Up front, forward nose. More dark fruit with herbs, coffee. Silky. Clean. Round. Medium finish with some tannin. Very good for the vintage, but not close to the 2010 I tasted here at the Chateau last year.
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Tasted at the chateau. I'm actually a little surprised by the excellent substance and balance of this wine given what I've heard about the 2011 vintage. I think there's plenty of potential here, which is perhaps a testament to what PL can do in any vintage. Regardless, I'll look forward to tasting this again in a few years. Very good.
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A record-setting amount of Cabernet Sauvignon was used in 2011 with 78%. The remainder was taken up with 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine will be aged in 60% new oak and reached 13% alcohol. Deep ruby in color with floral, cocoa, cassis, tobacco, olive and hints of mocha scents make up the perfume. The wine has medium body with fresh and bright cassis and boysenberry in the round finish. 92-94 Pts
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3/8/2024 - Jake Barnes Likes this wine: 92 Points
Purchased during a cellar sale, this was a very nice bottle showing strong, youthful aromantics; excellent concentration; and a big mouthful of relatively uncomplicated, if dense and pure, black fruit. Nice tannins, good acidity, and excellent balance, too. The mid-palate and finish were a bit weak, but this was very solid for the vintage, and it was a much more complete wine than the 2004 Pichon Lalande I had recently. As with that wine, the QPR here is, of course, atrocious (it’s really no better than a 2009 or 2010 Cantemerle), but it was a very pleasant wine, and I’m glad to have tried it as I continue to explore vintages of Pichon Lalande. 13% ABV (very good/***/16/92)
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10/29/2023 - wineian Likes this wine: 92 Points
I’m withThe Player on this one. Opened under Coravin in February and checked back in again tonight. Still the same. Belies the vintage. Dark blackcurrant colour. Some oak with steely, graphite, blackberry and cassis nose. Masculine in nature, yet with a degree of elegance and tarry richness that left me sipping constantly till the glass was empty. Black fruit finish, dry in a pleasant way.
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3/22/2023 - gstutz Likes this wine: 88 Points
Lighter than expected - an elegant wine.
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9/30/2022 - the player Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very impressive power to this wine given the less than stellar vintage. Blackish crimson cor, decanted amd drank over 2 hours. Nose of blackberries, currants, cassis, graphite and pepper. Solid on the palate, more masculine than the typical Lalande but elegant, powerful mid palate and a long finish with decent complexity and dry tannins fully coated by black fruit. Quite nice.
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2/12/2022 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose of black currant and black olives. Dark fruits, dark cherry, and black licorice slide into strong minerality with white pepper, flakes of mica, and light acidity. Graphite, iron, and iodine lead into long, caressing tannins with light blackberry and cherry notes peeking out from underneath. Two hour decant, served with grilled hamburgers.
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11/10/2021 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux 2011 - 10 Years On - 30 Reds: All tasted blind, not decanted. A few observations: 1) As expected, it's a mediocre vintage with many wines lacking depth and mid palate weight of great vintages. My average score for the reds was 91.3 pts vs group scores at more recent horizontals for 2010 (93.0), 2000 (92.7) and 2009 (93.9). 2) I expected more green/unripe notes and drying tannins but that is not the case (hence the solid 91.3 average). Most wines showed well-made (with only 6 out of 30 reds rated below 90 pts). 3) Left bank (average 91.8 pts) clearly trumps right bank (90.6) thanks to more mid palate substance. 4) Virtually no wine showed a) over extracted and already dying and b) with far too much ripeness. Both 2009/2010 (and 2015/2018) have several wines with these problem. 5) Most wines are in a good drinking window. Although not yet with tertiary complexity, the structure has softened and the wines are open (even without extended decanting). 6) Unfortunately (due to price), the best reds were Le Pin (97+ pts), Margaux (96), Petrus (96) and Mouton (95). 7) Good vintage for Sauternes it seems (we tasted only two) with a surprising Giraud (96 pts) beating a too sweet Yquem (93).
TN: Very mineral-driven nose, missing a bit of fruit and overall not expressive enough. The contrary on the palate which is dominated by an intense, candied strawberry fruit core. Especially intense on the attack, the wine thins out towards the mid palate and has a rather short finish. Quite simple but also quite fun to drink and with fine tannins and a well-integrated acidity as well as an airy structure. Overall ok and this bottle was clearly better than a bottle back a few months ago (rated 90 pts) which showed more astringent.
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6/23/2021 - Cailles wrote: 90 Points
24 Vintages of Pichon Lalande: All wines tasted blind. A few general observations: 1) Most wines showed the typical Pichon Lalande elegance. This is certainly one of the more delicate and elegant Paulliacs. 2) The relatively high Merlot content (often 20-30%) showed in many wines with fine, fresh rhubarb, rosehip and floral aromas I wouldn’t necessarily associate with a Medoc - all adding to the sensuous quality of the wines. 3) A few vintages showed the very sexy burnt sugar/coffee notes you associate with the 1982 Lalande or a Mouton or a Cheval Blanc - unfortunately, not to an extent and with an intensity to truly excite. 4) Following the legendary 1982 and until the most recent vintages (starting with 2014 but especially with 2016) there are three decades of pleasant Pichon Lalandes but hardly any vintage has the depth and length of truly great wines. The best wine tonight was the 2009 (rated 95+ points) with many more in the 92-94 point category.
TN: Nothing to exciting to find in this vintage. Like all 2011s, this is fresh, light and airy but it also had a bit of an astringent quality I didn’t like. I guess you really have to go to the big names in this vintage to find a spectacular wine (think Cheval). While not bad, this was rather simple and I didn’t took detailed notes on the aromas. Fine tannins, a bit too dominant acidity and the previously mentioned airy texture and feel.
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6/6/2021 - rmcnees wrote: 93 Points
Dark garnet purple colored, full bodied, concentrated with weight and power, rich black fruits with blackberry, dark-chocolate, cassis, spice, tobacco and hints of cedar with firm tannins on a long, intense finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/06/pour-boy-wine-dinner-at-del-ray-beach.html
From the Reserve List at DelRay Beach Wine Room
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10/10/2020 - EricFlash99 wrote: 93 Points
Annoying green bell pepper on nose. This unripe scent almost destroyed the wine. But the chateau pose the finest techniques to save it from a total failure: High portion of French oaks gave more sesame, coffee and spices, cherry and currant fragrance on the mid-palate, chalky in the lean finish. Quite high acidity lean the wine extravagantly and its unripe phenolic matters hardly backboned.
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8/7/2020 - vinodonpedro wrote: 93 Points
Very good for its young age. Tannins were rather smooth. Hints of leather with berries, some vanilla.
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7/2/2020 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Commanderie Council dinner. Pichon Lalande really managed this vintage well. The wine is of course not a blast of fruit with lush mid palate but it is not thin either. The palate is precise with lots of dark fruit and a touch of toasty oak. Very plesant.
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5/29/2020 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 93 Points
Focused, elegant nose with black currant, lilac, and violets. Leathery layers of dry black fruit and minerals with mineral ore notes. Long, lacy tannins with plum, dried herb, black and red currants, spice, and light acidity. An elegant wine with enough complexity it's difficult to write notes on.
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9/14/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
The last time I tasted this was out of barrel in 2012, so it’s fun to revisit and see how it’s come along. I’m 2012, I was surprised by the depth and balance given the vintage and I’m equally pleased today. Though still a bit young for my taste, this is fun to drink now - lots of energy and swagger. Those nose shows an intense, immediately-open melange of blackberry, blueberry, acacia, oak, and a hint of lavender. Lush and juicy on the plate; the tannins are already soft. Beautifully fruit-filled finish. Well done, Pichon Comtesse. 93+?
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5/14/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Day of the Goat: A Pichon Lalande Fractured Vertical (Leo & Cheryl's Place, Mpls, MN): Very dark red/purple. PNP, Drank a glass in a flight with the '02 and '04. Note taking was fading at this point. Herbal, some green notes still, cassis, tobacco, graphite, medium-full to full bodied, youthful with wood and some firmer tannins. I'm not so sure about the drinking window suggested by VFC of 2025 to 2075 though. That might be pushing it a bit. 91(+)
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4/1/2019 - mclanew wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Surprisingly open. Medium to full bodied. Classic. Nose of black currant and lead pencil. The palate is strict with flavors of black currant, tobacco, lead pencil and some green notes. The finish is a bit abbreviated compared to what you might expect. This is a very good everyday drinking bordeaux today but I don’t expect it to develop into anything marvelous.
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3/29/2019 - tblacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
Yes its an “off” vintage. We all know that. Initially the nose was heavy alcohol and smoke. After a 2hr decant, things changed. The wine was very balanced. Nose was smokey and there were hints of vanilla. On the palate it was smooth and had a deep earth/black cherry finish. If you pay attention, youll pick up the vanilla. For an off vintage, this was impressive.
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11/12/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Drink this now, while waiting for the 2009 and 2010 to come around. Medium/full bodied, fresh, lively, soft and silky, with an hour in the decanter, the wine really hits the spot.
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11/6/2017 - kostaslonis wrote: 90 Points
Trinity Wine Fair: The wine shows dense black fruit, mocca, rich with oak with black olives and bits of chocolate. The palate is rich, with ripe red and black cherry, oak and chocolate, firm tannins, medium body and finish.
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9/7/2017 - Markus IWC wrote: 93 Points
Elegant nose with tobacco, leather and cedar. Clean and smooth mouthfeel, elegant style. Accessible vintage, friendly tannins, integrated fruit, young and fresh. Minimal maturity notes, moderate acidity. Pure.
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7/12/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Slightly herbaceous on the first sniff, from there you find the tobacco, cedar chest and fresh red berries. Medium bodied, forward and already easy to drink, the wine finishes with soft textures, followed by cherries and earth in the end notes. Made from blending 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, the picking was quite fast, taking place from September 13 to September 28.
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5/29/2017 - RussK wrote: 92 Points
Russk. Wine spectator Grand Event at the Fontainebleau. 92- good aromatics. One of my favorite Bordeaux from the tasting.
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4/17/2016 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
MW Institute 2011 Bordeaux Tasting: Dark and brooding nose with some spice and blackberry. The palate is serious and structured, there is good depth to it and the length is great. This has all the right components to shine, it just needs time, maybe more than any other wine tonight.
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1/20/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 83 Points
Institute of Masters of Wine - 2011 Bdx Tasting (Hyatt, San Francisco): Pyrazines and manure are sticking out. Not very integrated.
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11/3/2015 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
The Institute of Masters of Wine Annual Bordeaux Tasting - 2011 Vintage (Vintners Hall, London): A very classy and charming wine here. Even at number 86 with all the palate fatigue this shown like the star it is. Elegant, well round, IB tune and in a way delicate. Good fruit density, freshness and a lot of structure. A. Erg solid result given the vintage and second to Montrose for us outside the premier . (92-93)
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10/21/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 88 Points
Blind tasting of 2011 and 2012 red Bordeaux. Very different to when I tasted this wine about 18 months ago (non-blind). Quite oaky, red fruit, spices, flowers. Quite delicate on the nose. On the palate very fresh without showing much fruit nor generosity. Tight and rather closed but also worryingly hollow. Drying finish, not overly persistent. 87-89(+?)
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9/13/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Checking in on some younger Bordeaux and other treasures with a fellow collector friend. Medium Ruby. Nose of cedar, a touch of barnyard, dark fruit, coffee, oak, very much in the well known Lafite/Lalande cigar box style. On the palate this is quite light on the mid palate but the balance is good and the tannins are soft. A very elegant wine without hard edges, great with food. Wait till 2017 and then drink it over the next 5 years while waiting for the 2010 to come around.
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5/21/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Smoke, tobacco and green pepper and cocoa scents open to a medium bodied, soft, polished easy to like, early drinking style of Pichon Lalande.
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4/27/2015 - Philippe_C wrote: 91 Points
Nose of ripe green pepers, incense, menthol... green tannins, hint of black fruit
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5/27/2014 - Tao wrote: 87 Points
Tasted at Vinexpo Asia 2014
Herby nose! Lacking substance! Hollow on the palate! Not live up to it's super second status this time, I do expect a lot more!
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5/17/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Lovely sweet fruit, hints of oak - deep and rich on the nose. Great attack, rich and broad, then a little spicy and mineral, grippy with a smooth long finish. What a wonderful wine - one of the very top ones on the left bank in 2011 for sure. 93-95+
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2/16/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
With a nose consisting of truffle, blackberry, vanilla bean and cassis, the wine is forward, soft, open and shows freshness in the cassis and dark red berry profile. The wine ends with a sweet, black cherry and chocolate finish.
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1/29/2014 - yofog wrote: 93 Points
One of the top wines here, if not the top wine. Really elegant and expressive fruit here, refined tannins, good acid, really beautifully composed and charming. It was probably a good choice to go almost all cab in this vintage. A bdx lover's bdx.
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1/27/2014 - thi nguyen wrote: 89 Points
Rusty dirt some fruit .truffle . Nice finish better than pichon baron
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1/26/2014 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
2011 Union des Grands Crus Tasting (Bentley Reserve, San Francisco CA): Gorgeous, nose (A-). Well integrated palate, limited density (B+/B++).
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1/25/2014 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Union Des Grand Crus Tasting 2011 Vintage, nose of red and black cherry fruit, red and black currants, same on the palate, slightly fruit forward, subdued fruit, seems a little thin, a little simple, medium/big body, soft tannins showing, medium finish, not a great vintage and not a great Pichon Lalande.
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1/25/2014 - Lipsman wrote: 92 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2011 Vintage Tasting (Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles): Along with Leoville Poyferré, the Pichon Lalande is one of the better 2011 wines. The Lalande exhibits wonderful balance, youthful minerality, and tannins completely submerged by the fruit. Flavors of black cherries, dark fruits, and berries. This will drink very well with 10 - 12 years of age, while you are waiting for the 2009s and 2010s to mature.
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1/25/2014 - aagrawal wrote: 89 Points
2011 UGC Bordeaux Tasting (Bentley Reserve, San Francisco CA): 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
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1/22/2014 - tooch wrote: 85 Points
UGC 2011 (The Drake Hotel - Chicago, IL): Found myself wishing this had more complexity. This was very simplistic and one noted with big, dark, dense blackberries on the palate. Put it away for a while I suppose.
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1/22/2014 - plitton wrote:
The wine of the tasting for me.
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1/17/2014 - PanosKakaviatos wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux 2011 from bottle (Park Hyatt Hotel, Washington D.C.): I generally adore the Comtesse, but feel like the green pepper aspect is almost too present. Some could interpret it as herbal, but I think we have some underripe tannin. What makes me hope for the future is that the mid palate is juicy and the texture is finely grained and displays elegance one expects, but I think that they did a better job in, say, 2008. This does remind me of 2007... barely makes 91 points, but it may come together with time in bottle.
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10/23/2013 - vespasian wrote: 89 Points
Some nice red fruits here but on the whole this doesnt wow me (by this time I was getting pretty bored with tasting through the 2011 reds) 88-90
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6/13/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Up front, forward nose. More dark fruit with herbs, coffee. Silky. Clean. Round. Medium finish with some tannin. Very good for the vintage, but not close to the 2010 I tasted here at the Chateau last year.
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5/28/2012 - englishman's claret wrote:
Tasted at the chateau. I'm actually a little surprised by the excellent substance and balance of this wine given what I've heard about the 2011 vintage. I think there's plenty of potential here, which is perhaps a testament to what PL can do in any vintage. Regardless, I'll look forward to tasting this again in a few years. Very good.
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4/10/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
A record-setting amount of Cabernet Sauvignon was used in 2011 with 78%. The remainder was taken up with 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine will be aged in 60% new oak and reached 13% alcohol. Deep ruby in color with floral, cocoa, cassis, tobacco, olive and hints of mocha scents make up the perfume. The wine has medium body with fresh and bright cassis and boysenberry in the round finish. 92-94 Pts
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4/2/2012 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
GJE CRD 2008 and EP 2011; 3/29/2012-4/4/2012 (Bordeaux, France): More subtle and not as aromatically expressive as the Baron. Red and blue fruits and a hint of green. Medium concentration.
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