2011 Bordeaux – The Wines
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St Estèphe
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Across the vineyards to St Estèphe
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Château Montrose, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 63% Cab Sauv; 22% Merlot; 12% Cab Franc; 3% Petit Verdot
This is almost opaque in the glass. The nose is a melange of fresh, quite crunchy berries: blackcurrant, damson; I even found a slight whiff of prune. This is instantly richer and more structured from the very front. This is also more tannic and more mineral, with greater intensity. Cool and medium weight wine. The grip starts sooner. Both straight and controlled. Very fresh, spiced grip of ending at a long and mineral finish. Rather fabulous Montrose.
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2020-2035 |
6x75cl |
£396.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Lillian Ladouys, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Quite a meaty, solid nose of black plum and smoky wood. A cool, plush entry meets the taster. This is very St Estèphe, very mineral, dense and solid. I found grippy, really fresh tannins. Very long wine, with great fresh lift at the finish
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2017-2026 |
12x75cl |
£126.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Lafon-Rochet, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A tannic, smoky nose; not giving much away, this. In the mouth, there's a touch of creaminess to the fruit. The fruit is quite forward, surprisingly, and spicy and black. Then smoky tannin emerges to drive this forward to the long ending. Nice fresh grpi to this good St Estèphe.
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2018-2028 |
12x75cl |
£0.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Meyney, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 43% Cab Sauv; 46% Merlot; 11% Petit Verdot A really scented nose of dark fruit and dark flowers; plum and dark chocolate (this latter aroma probably from the Petit Verdot). Very cool palate and just medium weight. Quite a compact wine. I really like these tannins, which are integrated and fine. A lively finish adds notes of pepper. Very long wine. This finishes very minerally. N.B. There's a little more Merlot in the blend this year due to hail damage of the Cabernet vineyard.
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2017-2025 |
12x75cl |
£210.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château de Pez, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Perfumed wine showing a veneer of oak atop pure blackcurrant Cabernet fruit. This is very straight and organised. Nice grip and a fine coating of tannin. Very juicy wine; fresh; good shape.
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2018-2028 |
12x75cl |
£0.00 |
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| 2011 |
Pagodes de Cos, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 65% Cab Sauv; 33% Merlot; 2% Petit Verdot The fruit here is really dark, damson-crunchy and there's that slight hint of prune again, plus a wisp of gingery spice to the blackcurrants. Again, this is very cool, but it is rather more serious than the Goulée (as one would expect). Blackcurrant straightness, nicely pure. Tannins are really quite classically proportioned here: cedary. Fresh drive to the very long finish. Pure. Just medium weight, but a complete wine. Mineral lunch claret.
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2015-2025 |
12x75cl |
£330.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Phélan-Ségur, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Uber-cool and very straight wine full of grip. Controlled palate, with upright, integrated tannins and fabulous sustain to the peppery finish. Very good this year.
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2018-2028 |
12x75cl |
£0.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Tronquoy-Lalande, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 47% Cab Sauv; 42% Merlot; 11% Petit Verdot Opaque, with a very narrow band at the rim. The nose is crisper and fresher than the second wine, showing floral aromas and a note not unlike chestnut. Going back to it, this is really very floral indeed. There's generous concentration to be found on the nose and a touch of warm spice. The wood is evident. Decent, fresh grip. Touch peppery, this, and nicely long, with fresh minerality.
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2016-2025 |
12x75cl |
£216.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Calon Segur, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Really very fresh nose, blossom-y, showing delicious, pure blackcurrant fruit. Once can almost taste the morning dew on the fruit! Very cool palate of delightfully pure blackcurrant fruit. Concentrated, with a wealth of integrated, fresh tannins. Very fresh minerality, too. Floral and very mineral. Very, very long wine. Fabulous, busy, complex, structured and full finish. Very fine. Then a fabulous pure fruit aftertaste. Classy stuff.
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2018-2035 |
6x75cl |
£222.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Capbern Gasqueton, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. This is 74% Cab Sauv and 26% Merlot
A lovely, plush, friendly nose of fresh flowers and black and blue fruits. The palate is cool, shows delightful concentration. Rich, integrated tannin and there's a minerality that hitns at crushed rocks. Excellent in both grip and length depts. A corking and delicious StEph.
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2015-2023 |
12x75cl |
£129.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Cos d'Estournel, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 65% Cab Sauv; 30% Merlot; 5% Cab Franc Utterly opaque wine and one really quite closed on the nose. There are some medicinal, minty aromas and a real freshness. Fruits both red and black. The blackcurrants are a touch floral. A note of beef tea. This is really backward and very cool indeed. Full of lively grip, yet this is almost airy, despite its excellent substance and drive. Fresh and lively. Excellent finish. There are rich and integrated, fine, tacky tannins. Very long with a juicy ending.
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2019-2030 |
6x75cl |
£600.00 |
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| 2011 |
La Dame de Montrose, St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 28% Cab Sauv; 72% Merlot Almost opaque. This is rather closed. Some floral hints to the wisp of crisp blackcurrant fruit. The tongue is met with a satin sheen of fruit on entry, then a dusting of fine, upright, quite spicy tannins, all leading to mild grip. This is really pretty and will make excellent drinking. Nice length.
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2016-2025 |
12x75cl |
£255.00 |
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Pauillac
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Cement and wood: a plethora of vats at Pontet
Canet
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Lovely, pure, very aristo blackcurrant fruit aromas. Fresh, scented, dark and lovely. The palate is backward, but with lovely fruit on aftertaste (Cab Sauv blackcurrants). Juicy fresh and the upright tannin is well integrated. Very long and with juicy grip and ending. Lively, engaging and appetising wine.
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2019-2035 |
6x75cl |
£381.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 75% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot. As ever, this is blacker on the nose than the Carruades, on damsons; almost a liquorice blackness here. Super-cool, with crushed rock minerals and big, upright, nutty tannins. Quite burly and certainly very busy. Dense and giving masculine grip. Excellent.
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2019-2030 |
6x75cl |
£321.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 78% Cab Sauv, 22% Merlot. Lovely, pure nose: floral aromas meld with fresh fruit of blackcurrant. This is beautifully perfumed and very berryish. A pretty nose and nicely concentrated, with hints of plum. The palate is very cool, showing very fine, integrated tannin. Quite backward, though straight and nutty. Medium weight, mineral and elegant. Good sustain here. A very pretty, mineral wine.
"Scented fragrant wine. Soft and relatively voluptuous for the vintage. This could be a really exciting wine in 2011." Jancis Robinson
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2018-2035 |
6x75cl |
£207.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 72% Cab Sauv; 28% Merlot. A pinky ruby colour. This is a touch closed, but aromas are nicely fresh, pure and berryish. Quite a pretty nose in which I found a scent of new leather. The palate I find overly cool and a touch charmless. It has better acidity than the Lacoste Borie. Medium weight and really straight, with nice grip. A minor wine from here, although the finish has some good spice and grip.
"A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot, the Haut-Batailley has a leathery, earthy bouquet with a pleasant herbaceous edge, a hint of small dark cherries developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a grainy, tertiary, saline entry. There is something agreeably briny at its core with a smooth, understates finish that lacks the length of the 2009 and 2010, but that is to be expected. Classic claret: no more, no less…" erobertparker.com
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2016-2023 |
12x75cl |
£252.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Lacoste Borie, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 55% Cab Sauv; 40% Merlot; 5% Cab Franc
Blackcurrant and damson purity of fruit, along with a hint of dried fruits and spices. This is really quite firm in the mouth and I found upright, tacky, integrated tannin. The finish here is really pretty square. This is mineral, quite fresh and quite long enough. Very cool and straight.
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2015-2023 |
12x75cl |
£156.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Quite an austere nose. Some dried flowers aromas and a hint of damson fruit. Otherwise pretty much closed for business. The palate offers a very cool, supple entry. This is earthily mineral. Big, rich, tacky tannins adda a hint of bitterness. Spicy black fruit in this busy wine. Finish is really incisive. Think this'll be very good.
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2019-2032 |
12x75cl |
£0.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Grand Puy Ducasse, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Tasted at Château Meyney - A big nose here, of toasty wood and fresh, slightly leafy Cab Sauv fruit, nuanced by floral aromas. Super-cool fruit on the palate. This is oaky, backward, with high grip. Rather closed. Very long, with juicy grip at the end. I think this will be very good.
Tasted at the UGC - Scented, pure, black cherry and blackcurrant aromas, very pure and fresh. This is straight, with upright, nutty, integrated tannin. Concentrated and grippy, with piquant, upright tannin. Lovely.
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2018-2030 |
12x75cl |
£0.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Pichon-Baron, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Smoky and very dark nose, with a hint of smoky bacon. Some dried flowers.Very dark, damson and blackcurrant aromas. Creamy, cool, supple entry quickly becomes structured with very fine, ordered tannin. Very straight profile. Very long and mineral wine, then a swelling, sustained and busily cpomplex finish. A cool, elegant and fine example.
"It sports a ripe, more extrovert nose than some of its neighbours, with lush blackberry, boysenberry, a touch of cherry liqueur and underneath, typical Pauillac traits of graphite and tobacco. Leaving the glass for five minutes it unwinds nicely and shows great purity. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins on the entry, good grip and weight, a 2011 with real substance and chutzpah. The more I leave this in my glass, the more I like it. Very harmonious with layers of ripe blackberry and a touch of white pepper, the finish forgetting it is 2011 and not 2009. This is an outstanding Pichon Baron for the vintage." erobertparker.com
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2019-2035 |
6x75cl |
£396.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Pichon Lalande, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Plummy, red and black fruit nose. Dark, crisp fruits and some warm gingery spice. Creamy, busy wine of very fresh tannins. Ripe, integrated tannin. Laid back and elegant wine. very fresh at the nutty ending.
"The headline is that this vintage of Pichon Lalande has the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever: 78% accompanied by 8% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. It is aged in 60% new oak and has an IPT of 75. It has a very strict bouquet, obviously dominated by the Cabernet with notes of blackcurrant, tobacco, graphite, a hint of Christmas cake and that tincture of blood orange evident in the second wine. The palate is medium-bodied with a linear, conservative entry that expands nicely in the mouth. It has fine acidity, good tension, fine weight but it is very tightly wound, more so than usual at this nascent stage. Leaving it aside, there is a hint of Lapsong Souchang and graphite towards the finish that shows a little hardness, but that should soften by the time of bottling. A very Pauillac-like Pichon, perhaps the little brother of the 1996? Tasted twice with consistent notes." erobertparker.com
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2017-2030 |
6x75cl |
£396.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: 60% Cab Sauv; 35% Merlot; 3% Cab Franc; 2% Petit Verdot
A lovely, richly aromatic nose of spiced blackcurrant and tangy plum fruit, with blackcurrrant very much uppermost. Hint of violet and the wood. Entry is cool and satin smooth, the palate quickly becoming fresh, showing excellent purity. Straight, the super-fine tannin is well integrated. A very, very long and elegant wine: a feminine Pontet-Canet…and none the worse for that!
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2018-2035 |
6x75cl |
£366.00 |
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| 2011 |
Réserve de la Comtesse, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: "It displays good intensity on the nose with blackcurrant, bilberry and a touch of crushed violet. Underneath, there is a hint of freshly tilled soil. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins on the entry, hints of dried orange peel inflecting the blackberry and tobacco tinged fruit. It has a supple texture with a sorbet-like finish. Very fine." erobertparker.com
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2015-2022 |
12x75cl |
£255.00 |
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| 2011 |
Carruades de Lafite, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 55% Cab Sauv, 39% Merlot, 3.5% Cab Franc, 2.5% Petit Verdot. Nose a pot pourri of dark flowers, that fresh blackcurrant fruit , with a hint of chocolate. Some peppery spice. A cool and compact wine and a very mineral one. There's a wealth of very fresh tannin and that lifted, pure and very fresh blackcurrant fruit. Long and this gains in very fresh, almost citrus grip.
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2018-2030 |
6x75cl |
£564.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Clerc Milon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: There's a slight whiff of smoky bacon to the dark damson fruit here. This is very backward, palate-wise. Closed and the tannins are rather raw. Shape, however, is good. A nutty wine and a really very juicy one. Very long and dry from the structure. Very straight. Very good, probably.
"…Possessing a dense color along with copious notes of new saddle leather, black currants, mocha and wood spice, it will require several years of bottle age, and should keep well for 15+ years…" Robert Parker
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2019-2030 |
12x75cl |
£396.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château d'Armailhac, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Lots of dry spice and wood to the floral black cherry/blackcurrant fruit. Fruit is cool and quite open on entry. This is pretty forwrad, but loaded with upright, chalky-dry tannin. A long and very spicy wine, peppery at the finish. Finish is good; the wine seems a good one, albeit showing quite forward fruit.
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2016-2025 |
12x75cl |
£336.00 |
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St Julien
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The old road from Château Beychevelle to the
Gironde
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Château Léoville-Barton, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A rich, dense, cool and spicy nose of pure blackcurrant fruit. Lovely and rather aristo nose, showing a violet note and a hint of the wood. Oof! This is the biggest wine here by far and also the most backward. It also has the richest tannin. Very juicy freshness and lovely grpi, full of intent. Lots here: masses, in fact. The tannins push the grip through. Very fine, I think.
"...Superb persistency – this is one of the top Saint Julien wines." erobertparker.com
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2022-2035 |
6x75cl |
£246.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Léoville-Lascases, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: "Very low yields this year. Some fruit burnt in the heat spike of June. Across the whole estate the yields were 26 hl/ha. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc. Rich inky crimson with deep purple crimson rim. Not as open on the nose as the Clos du Marquis. 'Very Léoville Las Cases.' Deep and dark and closed on the nose though you know it is intense. Great power and structure in the mouth but the structure is less obdurate than in many years. Dense but not heavy. Very firm." jancisrobinson.com
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2021-2040 |
6x75cl |
£534.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Léoville-Poyferré, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Lovely colour, as well as lovely creamy richness of very smoky, very black damson and peppercorn fruit. There's great intent here on the palate, plus rich, powerful tannic drive. Lovely black cherry fruit. Incisive and straight. Serious stuff.
"Another super effort from this estate..." Robert Parker
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2020-2032 |
6x75cl |
£282.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Gruaud Larose, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Lots of the wood evident here, as well as bright, black, berryish fruit including a hint of elderberries with the blackcurrant. Super-cool and airy wine, with lovely, upright tannin that is integrated. Very long wine and quite a backward one. Nutty, tannic finish. The fruit is über-cool. Nice grip at the back.
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2019-2030 |
6x75cl |
£204.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Lagrange, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Smoky, pure, black fruit meets the taster. Dark spices. Dark flowers, too. Black cherry and damson. Lovely flavours here of that pure, dark fruit. Long and the profile swells slightly throughout. Nutty with integrated, tacky tannin. Finishes with a peppery-fresh scrunch. Busy and fine.
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2019-2035 |
12x75cl |
£0.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Langoa-Barton, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Tannic aromas, a touch inky. Wood spice. The fruit flavours are all about blackcurrant freshness. This is really backward, but the tannins are very fresh and fine and tacky and forge their way through to a long ending. Lovely cool, morning-fresh fruit flavours. And the finish has elegant sustain, showing the wood a bit. Should be very good.
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2021-2038 |
12x75cl |
£345.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Gloria, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Something of a pot pourri nose. Mixed flowers; dark chocolate; black cherry. Lovely, very dark purity. Almost creamy, supple, cool entry, quickly beset by juicy freshness. The blackest cherries; slightly floral fruit flavours. Highly grippy, with upright, juicy tannin. Sustained, intense grip. Very long and very impressive.
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2018-2030 |
12x75cl |
£246.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Lalande-Borie, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 60% Cab Sauv, 35% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc. Red and black plums adorn the delightful nose and the fruit is nuanced by aromas of cedar. A cool wine, showing tacky, spicy, upright and rich tannin. Fresh and delicious.
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2015-2023 |
12x75cl |
£156.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Saint Pierre, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Perfumed, spicy, dark cherry fruit of great purity. Hints of pepper and smoke. Momentarily creamy, this quickly becomes juicy and highly mineral with iron grip thrusting forward. A great cylinder of intense, structured grip. Fabulous!
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2019-2035 |
12x75cl |
£372.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Talbot, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A creamy blackcurrant/blueberry nose. This smells rather delicious. This is pretty overt, with slightly creamy fruit, then fine, very peppery, integrated tannin. Very mineral wine, this gains in very juicy, high-end grip. Nicely pure fruit. This won't take long. There's real sustain to the grip and a chalky-textured ending.
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2017-2028 |
12x75cl |
£288.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Beychevelle, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Inky-black wine. Very, very narrow band at the rim. Nicely forthright, crisp and pure nose of blackcurrant and apple blossom. Very cool and there are some apple pip tannins. This is medium weight and shows lovely sustain, offers fine black berryish fruit and a swathe of paste-like minerals. Nice juicy grip. Very long and fresh with some spicy tannins coating the finish.
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2018-2028 |
12x75cl |
£495.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Branaire-Ducru, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Lovely, rich black and blue fruits of cherry, plum, along with dark spice. I even found some liquorice (the sweet, not the root). Nice suave entry quickly becomes clad in integrated, nutty-fine tannin, and those quickly become spicy. Sustained, grippy thrust to a fabulous, complete finish. Busy ending, really juicy.
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2018-2030 |
12x75cl |
£342.00 |
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| 2011 |
Clos du Marquis, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: "65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc. 40% new barrels. Inky black cherry with black core. Wonderfully refined cassis fruit purity with just the slightest hint of cedar. Lovely elegance with fine fruit fragrance on the palate. Refined dry texture without any dryness. Top-class Cabernet character. Great length with finesse in the tannins to the very end. Classic St-Julien." jancisrobinson.com
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2018-2035 |
12x75cl |
£336.00 |
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| 2011 |
La Croix de Beaucaillou, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 73% Cab Sauv; 20% Merlot; 7% Petit Verdot
Spicy nose of pure blackcurrant fruit. Hint of chocolate, either from the Petit Verdot or the wood. Some dark flowers and a lovely blackcurrant purity. Very cool and really quite backward. A mineral wine and a spicy one. Compact and medium weight. Integrated, fine, even sophisticated tannin. Excellent Croix.
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2017-2027 |
12x75cl |
£264.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 85% Cab Sauv; 15% Merlot; 13.1%abv
A rich and very dark nose of fruits fresh and dried. Dense, cool aromas of blackcurrant, smoke, plum and spice. A cool, sophisticated and really spicy palate. Very straight and very elegant palate and one loaded with very fine, upright, quite spicy tanniin. Nicely piquant wine and a very persistent one. Consistent shape right through. Wonderful freshness here.
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2020-2040 |
6x75cl |
£402.00 |
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Margaux
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Château du
Tertre
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Château Du Tertre, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: There's a hint of classically claretty cedar to the floral scents of black and red currrant fruit. The tongue experiences a plush and really cool entry. The palate here is ideally straight and it gains in serious minerality. The long finish is dotted with peppery spice. Really juicy at the end. Lovely Tertre.
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2017-2027 |
12x75cl |
£240.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Giscours, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Some pretty and very pure blackcurrant Cabernet aromas. Very cool wine and nuttily tannic in its coolness. Great thrust of tannic freshness. Structured and showing hints of the wood. Long wine. Very good, too.
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2016-2027 |
12x75cl |
£327.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A rich and very black and smoky nose of damson fruit. There are also aromas of dark flowers and chocolate spice. Toasted gingerbread. Backward, with very nutty, angular-but-ripe tannins. Ripe blackcurrants. Mineral. This will be superb, but oof! It's pretty hard work at the moment. Smoky ending.
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2019-2030 |
6x75cl |
£189.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Issan, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A delightfully pure nose of fruits both blackcurrant and hedgerow meets the taster. This is all a touch smoky and includes scents of crushed purple blooms. Aromas really concentrated here. A very cool palate takes in very rich, tacky tannins that are verging on the squeaky. Very mineral wine, those minerals really fine-grained. Very long. And there's spice at the finish.
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2018-2030 |
12x75cl |
£357.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Labégorce, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: This comes across supple and plush (especially when compared to some of the wrung-out horrors found in other parts of this diverse appellation). Really delightful curranty fruit. This gains steadily in highly mineral grip. A long wine and a pure and floral one. Easy going stuff.
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2016-2025 |
12x75cl |
£165.00 |
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| 2011 |
Blason d'Issan, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Lots of mineral interest on the nose, along with floral, dark aromas of pure black fruits. This is cool and plush when sipped. Flavours are floral and of berryish blackcurant and cherry fruit. Tannin are rich and very fine and velvet textured. There's this paste-like minerality and a flavour of nut at the finish. Big, friendly structure here. Very long and pure and delicious.
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2016-2026 |
12x75cl |
£165.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Palmer, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. This is 40% Cab Sauv, 54% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. 14.5%abv. Dense, black and spicy nose. Pepper, black plum and bramble. Coolly creamy entry. Lovely density of blackcurrant and plum fruit. A plush start, the full of rich, very fine mouthcoating tannin. Hint of tobacco to this. A big structured wine and a very long one. Busy, with lovely grip and lift at the end. Serious stuff.
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2019-2035 |
6x75cl |
£885.00 |
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| 2011 |
Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. This is 66% Cab Sauv, 30% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. 14%abv. Quite a broad and rich nose of spiced plum and blackcurrant. And cool entry and a creamy one, then tacky with nutty tannin. There's some laid-back grip here, that takes one through to a mineral ending. This is a touch warm at the back. Finishes pepperily. Nice purity and nicely long. And really expressing that minerality.
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0-0 |
12x75cl |
£0.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: In Bordeaux - Nose is restrained, curranty, the wine very tannic, with high grip and real concentration and vim. Very long and intense wine. Very backward.
In London - Good, pure fruit of blackcurrant and red apple. This is richly tannic: tacky, fine. A very long wine. This is very cool, juicy and pure.
"De-leafed late and lots of sorting. Dark purple. Thick and intense. Juicy and alluring. There is freshness and a bit of (top quality) oak. Rather glamorous…" Jancis Robinson
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2019-2035 |
6x75cl |
£312.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Cantenac Brown, Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Smoky, very black-smelling fruit of blackcurrant and damson. Smells quite extracted. Then the palate is instantly fresh, with great spicy expanding grip. Long, and there's good tension here. Pretty convincing stuff and really pretty age-worthy. Peppery, with a very long, grippy finish.
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2019-2030 |
12x75cl |
£306.00 |
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Other Médoc
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Château La Tour Carnet, Haut Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Notes: The usual Magrez smoky oak about the nose, framing pure blackcurrant fruit. The palate is very cool, very mineral. Loaded with fine, tacky, grippy tannin. This is very long and highly energetic. I think the vintage suits the house style here.
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2017-2025 |
12x75cl |
£225.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château La Tour de By, Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A rich, dark nose of smoky damson fruit. This goes into the mouth really quite laid back and pushes onward, picking up ripe, rich, credible tannins on its way to a long finish
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2016-2025 |
12x75cl |
£108.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Goulée, Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 70% Cab Sauv; 30% Merlot Very aromatic nose, purely of dark, berryish, ripe, slightly creamy fruit. Very pretty. Damson-crunchy. The palate is cool and really straight, with integrated, ripe tannins that are quite chunky. This is drinkable already. Knit and nicely long and easy. I cannot remember enjoying Goulée more at this stage.
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2014-2021 |
12x75cl |
£0.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Potensac, Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Notes: "A sleeper of the vintage, this blend of 52% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc exhibits outstanding ripeness (13.5% alcohol) as well as a deep ruby/purple color and excellent notes of crushed rocks, red and black currants, licorice and earth. Supple-textured, medium-bodied and nicely concentrated, it should provide pleasure over the next 7-10 years." Robert Parker
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2016-2025 |
12x75cl |
£153.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Beaumont, Haut Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Rich, nutty and complete wine, structured and serious. Big and mineral and highly impressive.
"Distinctive autumnal notes on the nose. Fresh and vital and relatively lightweight but very serious. Round and polished on the palate. Full of appeal and with just a bit of leafiness to stop it being sickly. Lots of pure pleasure and confident attack here. Appetising. Sinewy." jancisrobinson.com
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0-0 |
12x75cl |
£99.00 |
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Pessac-Léognan
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Château Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A crisp nose of crunchy, black fruits. Rather smoky, with aspects of hedgerow berries. This is super-cool across the tongue and gives a straight cylinder of upright tannin. Juicy fresh. Pure and structured and classically built. This is peppery with tannin. Long, busy and elegant.
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2020-2035 |
6x75cl |
£300.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 34.8% Merlot, 18.9% Cab Franc, 46.3% Cab Sauv. This really is rather dumb in its youth. Vague aromas of nut and berry. This comes acrolss as cooler and more compact than the La Mission, with more grip. Very, very cool wine. There's a floral aspect to the fruit purity. Nicely fresh, this, and becoming fresher throughout. Pure and lovely. Very mineral. For me, a clearly better wine than La Mission this year.
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2020-2040 |
6x75cl |
£1,920.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château La Mission Haut Brion, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Lovely density of pure fruit on the nose. Slightly creamy-smelling blackcurrant fruit aromas and a mineral, gravel note. Saline aromas. This is cool and rich and dense on entry. Very self-assured wine, becoming peppery. Elegant, with rich, nutty and really suave tannins. Very mineral wine. Flavours are plum and pure blackcurrant. Integrated. Good sustain. This is an almost feminine example: really elegant, but expressing the soil at the same time. Superb.
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2022-2040 |
6x75cl |
£1,155.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Pape-Clément, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Usual whiff of modernity here: creamy wood frames nicely pure dark, smoky, blackcurrant and plum fruit. Really convincing job this. I found upright, peppery tannin and juicy grip held within the fruit/oak envelope. Really long wine. Top Pessac-Léognan.
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2019-2030 |
6x75cl |
£321.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A rich and creamy and really smoky nose of ripe damson fruit and dark chocolate wood. A wealth of dark, dry spice. This is super-cool SHL and backward with it. A nutty wine and a juicy one, ripe and spicy. Very long, with incisive bite. Extraordinary finish. Fine wine. Fresh nose, purely of Cabernet fruit, dark and really rather aristo. Smoky wood scents mix with aromas of flowers to create something really quite alluring. On entry, this is a touch creamy, then becomes very credible, showing cool length of dewy blackcurrant fruit along its grippy extent. Busy finish. Very persistent stuff. And lovely with it.
"…this has a lifted mineral-rich bouquet scents of oyster shell, yuzu and apricot with fine delineation (the Sauvignon Blanc not particularly evident.) It is very attractive and very well defined. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry, showing more weight and structure than the Les Haut de Smith but has a similar flavour profile. It has a satisfying citric kick on the finish. Excellent…" erobertparker.com
"Very suave and with real energy and direction. Velvety texture. Race." Jancis Robinson
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2018-2035 |
6x75cl |
£252.00 |
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| 2011 |
Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Rather shy, the nose here. Some airy, berry-ish fruit: deep, black cherry. Then the palate: nicely concentrated, with very cool fruit. Tannin is integrated, peppery and very piquant and spicy. This is both long and juicy. Black fruits in a busy, lively package. Concentrated and very, very long. This needs years. Fine tannins and a straight proflie. Very long wine.
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2020-2035 |
12x75cl |
£336.00 |
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Dry Whites
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A deliciously ripe and peary nose showing some smokiness. Thetre's a really nice density of peary fruit. Good reserves here and gaining in lemony juice. Long, with citrus-fresh minerality to a crunchy, juicy finish. Excellent dry white.
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2014-2023 |
6x75cl |
£315.00 |
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| 2011 |
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Notes: The nose is very shy at the moment, but the palate speaks volumes. It is peayr and dense, with very fine minerality. Very good shape to this and a slightly peppery quality. Very long, elegant white wine. Lovely lift right at the death.
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2017-2027 |
6x75cl |
£321.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château De Fieuzal Blanc, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France
Notes: As usual, tasted after the Domaine de Chevalier (which has now priced itself into a different galaxy to Fieuzal) and this immediately comes across as more exotic, the fruit more on oranges. It enters the mouth rich, fluid, supple and shows the taster fruit lent a creamy texture by the wood. Then the palate picks up structure and reveals piquant minerals. This is long, the flavours of tangerine. And there's that lovely freshness at the back. Superb vintage for this wine.
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2014-2020 |
12x75cl |
£345.00 |
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Sweet Whites
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Château d’Yquem
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Château de Rayne-Vigneau, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Lovely clean botrytis on the nose, along with aromas of sugared lemon and lime. Peachy, very pretty nose that includes some toasty wood. Very sweet and rich on the palate (as one might expect from a neighbour of Yquem). Pastille-like fruit of peach and pear juice. Really spicy at the finish, showing good minerality. Huge and viscous texture and the all-important dry finish. One could drink this now with enormous pleasure. There's a sudden impression of small oranges. No heaviness here. Lovely.
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2016-2026 |
6x75cl |
£150.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Suduiraut, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
Notes: This is exceedingly embryonic for the time being. Aromas are quite shy, of lemon and something more exotic. It's the palate that shows all the class here. Great intensity and freshness. If the Rayne-Vigneau could be drunk now, this needs years of cellaring and will keep and keep. A great, clean thrust of a palate. An intense and super-concentrated wine. This is very sweet, but the freshness, spicy and minerality contrive to make it almost airy. A seriously class act.
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2021-2035 |
6x75cl |
£246.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Coutet, Barsac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Coutet is playing a coy game, rather shyly expressing fruit aromas reminiscent of pineapple. The palate explains itself with great clarity, however, in its dense, cool, peariness. This is highly persistent; a real step up from virtually all the other sweet wines I tasted this year. Mineral and spice winds itself boldly around the finish. Fabulous, rivetting Coutet
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2018-2035 |
6x75cl |
£240.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Doisy Daëne, Barsac, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A lovely nose, slightly toasty, of herbal, lemon-scented fruit sprinkled with dried camomile flowers. This is simply HUGE in the mouth: very sweet and dense. There's some Sauvignon BLanc leafiness, then rich nuttiness. This won't take long and is now, and always will be, delicious. Ends with juicy grip.
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2017-2032 |
6x75cl |
£150.00 |
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St Emilion
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Le Dôme, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. This is 80% Cab Franc and 20% Merlot. Soil here is more sandy, with a little clay, over iron pan rock. A very floral nose to Dome this year and there are some aromas verging on the medicinal: menthol, perhaps. Lovely density to the aromas. Lovely pure aristo fruit on the palate, then fabulous upright, integrated tannins. Very long. A sensation of limestone and spice. Fabulous wine.
"…A blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, this backward, slightly unformed St.-Emilion is bursting with exciting potential. An inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by notes of wet steel, lead pencil shavings, Asian spice, spring flowers, blueberries and black raspberries. While the aromatics are suppressed, the flavors explode across the palate with thrilling intensity and purity…" Robert Parker
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2018-2030 |
6x75cl |
£381.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Figeac, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Floral nose: real whiff of the rose garden about Figeac this year. Red and black plum fruit, pure, cool and delicious. Very cool, this; straight and laced through with nutty-rich, tacky tannin. Huge lateral grip. This is both mineral and juicy. This will be very, very good indeed. A star in 2011.
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2020-2035 |
6x75cl |
£390.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château La Dominique, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Lovely floral scents give complexity to the pure cassis and plum fruit accented by smoky spice. This is very, very cool and reveals big tannins and full grip. Great intensity here; great length, too. Finishes full of peppery spice. I think this'll age into something really excellent. Offers very good value for money.
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2018-2030 |
12x75cl |
£252.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Laforge, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Very floral nose: delicious, pure plum aromas nuanced by a notably floral scent. Into the mouth and this is silken, very cool indeed. Deliciously pure wine showing black plum and cherry fruit. Tannin is piquant, fine and uprighht. This is long and delicious, with tacky grip. Finishes busily.
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2016-2023 |
12x75cl |
£216.00 |
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| 2011 |
Clos de l'Oratoire, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: A pure nose of lifted cherry fruit, red and black. Notes of cassis and spice add interest. This enters the mouth cool and supple. Tannin is rich and integarted and nutty. This is very long, gaining in grip to a busy finish. Very good and more serious, I think, than I can remember.
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2015-2025 |
12x75cl |
£225.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Saintayme, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 100% Merlot.
The nose here is pure and a touch creamy, of fruits blue and black. Very cool and supple on entry, becoming mineral, with fine, tacky, lively tannins. Long and gaining in grip. Nice wine.
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2014-2021 |
12x75cl |
£93.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Canon La Gaffelière, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 60% Merlot, 32% Cab Franc, 8% Cab Sauv. A spicy nose, and one showing sloe and black cherry fruit aromas. A very cool, black cherry palate. This is backward and really very mineral and compact. A seriously grown-up wine this year, straight and fresh, juicy and loaded. Fine, ubiquitous tannin. Peppery finish. Vintage suits the style with these Niepperg wines, I find.
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2018-2028 |
6x75cl |
£222.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Pavie-Macquin, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: This is extremely embryonic at the moment: barely more than a small collection of dividing cells. Very spicy wine and there is high, rather raw tannin here at present. Fruit flavours are pure and black and delicious. But boy, is this hard work right now. Needs years.
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2018-2035 |
6x75cl |
£216.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Troplong-Mondot, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: High toned nose, brambly, follwed by a super-cool palate, with rich, almost almond-tacky tannins. This is mineral and long. With its medium acidity well covered. Very backward this. Needs a very long time, but will then be very good indeed. A success!
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2017-2030 |
6x75cl |
£315.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Angélus, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: In Bordeaux - A rich nose of smoky brambles. Smells tannic. Black plum and damson fruit. Something medicinal here. A dense, very cool palate. This is really classy and pure. Tannins are very piquant, lively and vibrant. This gains in peppery intensity. Very, very mineral wine. Then a great, big, intense finish. Fabulous. Will go for years.
In London, two months later - Good, rich, black nose: black chery and plum. Very dense and very fresh and full of structure. Very mineral. Huge, grippy, spiced tannin. Very l;ong and there's real power at the back. A baby!
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2018-2035 |
6x75cl |
£750.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Berliquet, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Very fresh and zesty sort of a nose showing some pure blackcurrant fruit. On the palate, this goes in quite broad and creamy, quickly becoming extremely fresh. There's great length here, but the over-riding theme is one of that fresh acidity. Don't think this'll be big, but suspect it'll give pleasure, especially with a piece of lamb.
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2016-2023 |
12x75cl |
£243.00 |
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| 2011 |
Clos Fourtet, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: Really very shy on the nose at the moment. What aromas are present are very fresh and clean. The palate is super-cool and structured from the front. This is one cool and concentrated wine, with very rich and nutty tannins. It becomes very busy and intense and full of powerful grip to a loaded finish. Pure plum fruit. Impressive.
"The Clos Fourtet 2011 has a lush nose of Tiptree strawberry jam, redcurrant, a touch of vanilla and boysenberry. It is nicely defined and quite feminine. The palate is medium-bodied with good structure on the entry and a fine, firm backbone that suggests this will be a long-term Clos Fourtet. I like the cohesion on this Saint Emilion, perhaps even a sense of restraint that is occasionally missing from the wines in their youth. It packs quite a punch on the finish with a firm grip on the off-dry finish. Excellent." erobertparker.com
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2018-2030 |
6x75cl |
£273.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château de Fonbel, St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 63% Merlot, 7% Carmenère, 10% Petit Verdot, 20% Cab Sauv.
Very l;ifted, floral nose of fresh black hedgerow fruits. This is a touch smoky. Sloe and cherry fruit. Very cool and supple entry, slightly creamy. Very elegant...then mineral. This is very long and it gains in grip throughout to a juicy crunch of a finish.
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2015-2022 |
12x75cl |
£129.00 |
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Pomerol
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Other Right Bank
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2011 |
Château La Chénade, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 80% Merlot, 20% Cab Franc.
A spicy nose of crunchy red and black fruits. Purple flowers and spice. Very cool. This is more backward than the Montlandrie, with fine, tacky tannins from the very front. A compact wine and a very straight one. Elegant. More freshness here. It's all nicely controlled. Fabulous equilibrium.
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2015-2023 |
12x75cl |
£96.00 |
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| 2011 |
Château Montlandrie, Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France
Notes: N.B. 75% Merlot, 25% Cab Franc.
Very myrtille-like fruit; touch of bramble. Pure and scented, with limestone aromas. Very cool, nicely dense wine, gaining in high, very fine tannin. Very long, with a controlled shape. Nutty and busy at the finish. Juicy, very grippy ending. Fabulous.
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2016-2022 |
12x75cl |
£144.00 |
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