Bordeaux 2011 – St-Émilion and satellites

(Sometimes also labelled Saintem.) 100% Merlot, harvested 15-16 September. 30% new oak. Very strawberry. Just a touch reductive. Fluid fruit across the palate. Salty (from the stress hydrique, apparently). Dryish tannins but with a light hand. (JH) 13.8%

Deep cherry crimson, black core. Very toasty, oaky on the nose. Oak overrules the fruit. Dense but dry and just so aggressive with the wood. Wait for it to die back. (JH)

55% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot. Dark and coaly but opens up to some pure dark fruit. Restrained, dry and finely built. Richer in the mouth than some. Fresh and balanced and fruit more expressive on the finish with the Cabernet Franc showing through. (JH)

60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. All new oak. Black core with deep purple rim. Toasty oak, light char, but also a fine cassis freshness on the nose. Fresh and quite juicy in the middle then quite firm and dense on the finish. Dark fruited, respectable but not very exciting. Tannins quite dense and may need more time than some. (JH)

Black core, black cherry rim. Pretty toasty and charry on the nose. Oak rules even though there's fresh dark fruit underneath. Intense ripe cassis. Slightly drying tannins, powdery fine but dry and a bit tough on the finish. (JH)

Lively spiced black cherry and cassis. Full of fruit. Fluid though structure supports that juicy mid palate. Lively and lots of pleasure. (JH)

Black with dark cherry rim. Ripe and sweet with a touch of vanilla making it sweeter still, brightened by fresh cassis. Very chewy but not tough. Dense, fresh, bags of fruit. Acidity quite pronounced on the finish but should meld reasonably well with time. (JH)

78% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc. Inky cherry. Gorgeously ripe but fresh damsons as well as fresher small dark berries. So perfumed even though there is some chocolatey oak in there too. Bright, deep and long but full of life and intensity with no excess of weight or ripeness and excellent freshness all the way along. Lovely wine. (JH)

Lightly smoky dark fruit. Juicy, fresh and full of life. Tannins are nicely in the background, though they show up, with the oak, on the very end, which is firm and savoury. (JH)

Vineyard encépagement: 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc. Deep cherry red. Chocolate sweetness at first on the nose but there's sweet and fresh red fruit underneath. A little bit leafy on the palate, tannins very gentle. Not a great deal of depth but there's a soft richness to the tannins. (JH)

Still on calcaire plateau. Two hectares of old vines. Dark and rich and pure. Lots of oak but texture more silky than the Pavie Decesse. Needs a lot of time but it isn't bitter or hard. Just very dense and dark and not ready. (JH)

Sweet black cherry jam and vanilla. Smells much richer than it is. A bit skinny on the palate and thus rather tart, and tarry too. Pretty hard work. (JH)

Dark and pure on the nose. Lovely cassis notes. Tension and freshness even though the texture is soft and approachable. Not terribly long. (JH)

Black with dark cherry rim. Sweet dark cherry chocolates but the fruit is still bright and pure. Soft and moreish on the palate. Nice grip even though it is covered in velvet. (JH)

Black core, dark cherry rim. Fragrant, floral, spice, almost exotic. So perfumed. Softer and less vibrant than the Faurie de Souchard but generous and full in the mid palate and a soft long finish but with plenty of tannin – it’s just well smoothed. (JH)

Dark black cherry. Not very expressive on the nose yet there's purity of black fruit rather than too much oak. Juicy red fruit on the palate. Quite a bit lighter and gentler than some, moderate length. Tannins are tight, fine, not overworked. (JH)

32% Cabernet Franc (some planted prior to 1953), 60% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 80% new oak but it doesn't overwhelm. Lovely aroma. Chocolate over Cabernet Franc freshness. Some oaky char but fluid freshness in the mouth. Fine, fine dense tannins. Violet notes. (JH)

Dark black cherry crimson. Oaky yet still bright fruited. Pretty oaky and dark on the palate. Black cherry, thick, firm, chewy but not tough. Rich and thickly textured. Power rather than finesse. (JH)

Heavy bottle. 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 55% new oak (less than usual). Deep cherry red. Beautiful restraint and that wonderful, gentle freshness. Gliding tannins, no sweetness, though there's fragrant fruit, and I cannot avoid the word mineral. Very very sublte. Not especially aromatic. Utterly tender and fine. Not powder, not dusty, just so refined. The wine disappears gently on the finish evanescent rather than short. (JH)

55% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot, 100% new oak, benefiting from the extra precision allowed by the new, small concrete vats (described by Jancis here) in which the 44 separate parcels they have identified can be vinified separately, says winemaker Pierre-Olivier Clouet. Merlot picked al dente 6-14 September, then waited for the sunny days and cold nights to work their magic on the Cabernet Franc.
Deep dark cherry crimson. Delicately floral and fruity, so subtle but gently aromatic. A touch of oak sweetness and spice but very restrained. Very very fine grained, you can feel the tannins but they melt across the palate. There's intensity but it's so TENDER. It's dark-fruited rather than savoury. There's minerality in both taste and texture. Fabulous way to start a day's tasting. (JH) 13.5%

Purple coal. Very ripe but still fresh dark fruit, spicy damson and blueberry. Lots of extraction and charry oak, with the fruit still coming through in the middle though dominated by that charry oak. Powerful, very very oaky. (JH)

80% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. 130% new oak. Bright lively crimson. Scented red fruit aroma smells invitingly fresh. Slight leafiness on the palate, bit of chew to the tannins but the scent is there on the mid palate too. Fresh and energetic, with good length though just a bit light in terms of flesh. Cabernet Franc really lifts it. (JH) 13.5%

100% Merlot. 40% new oak. Deep smudgy cherry red. Much sweeter smelling than the Petit Cantenac – vanilla and blueberry and spice. Firm and chewy and bags of Merlot lushness and yet with the freshness to balance. More density than the Petit Cantenac though perhaps not the same aromatic energy. (JH) 13.5%

90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. 60% new oak. Soils less calcareous than Canon La Gaffelière so ready for drinking earlier. Subtle but pure black plum and cassis fruit. Tighter and a bit leaner than the Ch d'Aiguilhe. Dry tannins but not drying. Less flesh in the middle. (JH)

Less than a hectare. Lively, juicy and fresh. Tannins are dry but the structure is in keeping with the fruit weight.

Dusty mineral and savoury but with a supple sweetness then more savoury and fresh on the finish. Complete and with a fine and lively wholeness. Tannins are firm but not overpowering. (JH)

Deep inky crimson. Shy on the nose. Very dry but more fluid than the Corbin-Despagne. Dry finish, pretty tough, and I don't think waiting longer will help much. (JH)

Sweet, very ripe tarry damson plus mocha. Then very oaky and bitter on the palate. Overextracted and overoaked with a mouthful of bitter chocolate on the finish. (JH)

Overripe jammy black fruit, though quite floral too. Tough and sticks your mouth together. Tannins strangling this wine. Obdurate and dry. (JH)

Very ripe and very sweet on the nose. Cherries and damsons to the fore combined with malty chocolate notes. Densely structured, filled with ripe fruit and overall the power dominates the freshness. Tough finish at the moment but maybe it will settle. (JH)

Black as black. Inviting, sweetly ripe but not overripe damson and cherry. Rich, chewy, full flavoured and with the flesh to carry the structure. Powerful and juicy. Long too. (JH)

Deep bright cherry red. Violets and dark red fruit. Just a touch dusty. Fresh, chewy and generous. The tannins finish a little dry but the finish is lively. (JH)

70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep purplish crimson. Red fruit and elderberry and a sort of wild fragrance. Lovely chew and freshness on the palate, less polite but more energetic. Vibrant and so alive. The tannins dense but supple. Long and fresh. Delicious even though it is not markedly concentrated. (JH)

Black cherry crimson. Floral dark fruit on the nose and palate. Warm bricks too. A little medicinal. Pretty chewy but not tough like so many. Much more complete and well balanced. Freshness well integrated too. Well done! (JH)

Black-hearted crimson. Very ripe so there's even a touch of strawberry sweetness to the black fruit. Firm, thick tannins, not dry but quite hard work and slightly bitter on the finish. (JH)

63% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, 7% Carmenère. Fragrant, a little floral even and a touch of cedar. Very sweet red fruit and juicy freshness. Much more approachable than the Simard. Lively and bright. (JH)

Deep black cherry with purplish rim. Slightly overripe fruit, edging towards raisiny but you get diverted by the violets and vanilla sweetness. Then more raisiny on the full. Full bodied, concentrated but no attempt at elegance. (JH)

Bright elderberry juice, black core. A touch smoky on the nose, but invintingly perfumed too with violets and bright dark fruit. A bit tarry as well. Firmly and freshly structured. Although the fruit is pretty ripe on the nose, the whole is more refined than many, having both density and juicy freshness and no excess sweetness. (JH)

Intense, dark cherry crimson, ripe cherry aromas, intense but not very fragrant. Notes of violets and oak char. Lots of sweet oak on the palate, toasty. Smooth, sweet, rich. (JH)

Greyish dark crimson. Toasty and rich on the nose. Lively and fresh and juicy on the palate. Lots of red-fruited brightness, fine tannins leave the mouth feeling clean. (JH)

On the border with Pomerol. Deep dark cherry red. A little dusty and shy. There's sweet fruit in there but it is crushed by the dry tannins. So dry and dusty on the finish. (JH)

Deepest dark crimson. Sweet toasty damson. Ripe fruit but savoury too, though probably more from the oak. Dense, dry, chewy but has just about enough fruit depth to cope. Really tannic beast. (JH)

70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. 50% new oak. Black inky core. Smoky, oaky nose not letting much fruit through. Harsh and dry on the finish. Overextracted. (JH)

This is the first vintage of Jacques Thienpont's new wine, over the border in St-Émilion. Eight hectares of 30-year-old vines, harvested three weeks later than at Le Pin. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.
Spicy, ripe and plummy on the nose. Something a little bready? Overall fragrant and lively. Dry, firm but seemingly gentle tannins. (JH)

Pretty ripe and just a touch floral, plums and damsons. More savoury on the palate; oaky and there's something rather hard on the finish. (JH)

Colour of elderberry juice, black core. Ribena incarnate on the nose. Very sweet blackcurrant, not very French! Ripe and fruit forward but it does finish fresh. In the way that blackcurrant juice does. Rounded, quite dense tannins. Flattering but too sweet for my taste. (JH)

Tarry and jammy on the nose, a bit spirity too (rare in this vintage). Pretty tough on the palate. Drying finish. (JH)

Ripe and a touch figgy. Similar on the palate with dark chocolate bitter sweetness. Fresh but a little tough on the finish. (JH)

Technical director's property next to Monbousquet. Two hectares. Very dark crimson cherry. A little dusty on the nose. Quite aggressive impact of tannin but there's a nice layer of dark fruit, the tannins just impede the fruit at the moment. Dusty on the palate. Dry and a little cross. (JH)

Vineyard encépagement: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Deep cherry crimson and ripe cherry fruit on the nose. A little more leafy on the palate. Fine, dry tannins, leafy finish. Lingers. Finishes dry. (JH)

Black core and dark cherry rim. Quite closed, dense, savoury and dark. Not giving much away. Firm and dry and long. Severe at the moment but plenty of fruit in the middle for a long life. Very firm grip but not aggressive. Just needs a lot of time. (JH) 13.9%

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. 100% new oak. Amazingly deep colour like all the wines from the von Neipperg stable. Smoky dark and dense. Lovely purity. Juicy fresh acidity and a lovely rounded texture. Moderate length and quite gentle but plenty in the middle. Pure and light-handed extraction but there's lots of ripe tannin hiding underneath. Stephan von Neipperg says, 'Il joue son cinéma' – ie the softness is deceptive. (JH)

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 18 months in new oak. Cedary cassis nose, plenty of oak in evidence. Slight minty note. Soft, thick tannins. Rounded but finishes a bit dry and not a lot of flesh in the middle. Then a rush of juice on the finish. Not integrated at the moment. (JH)

Slightly lower yields than 2010. Gentle aroma of sweet dark, dusty fruit pure with evident oak char and chocolate. Very firm and chewy grip but there's a softness in the mouth that is striking for Pavie. Dense and dark but with a fluid flourish at the end and good length. Enough freshness to balance. Lots of matière then the oak char comes back on the finish. A bit too dense for pleasure at the moment. (JH)

3.5 ha. 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Very dark with a rich black cherry rim. Anthocynanins came out easily. Powerful and dark and dense. Very ripe but no overripeness and really nice acidity. Not as dry as the Monbousquet, a little more rounded. Very dense but not hard. Lots of chew but has fruit depth too, and persistence. (JH) 14.3%

Pure damson jam on the nose. Fresher on the palate but a bit lean for the sturdiness of the tannins. A hard chew with the acidity marked and accentuating the tannins. Really tart on the finish. (JH)

Dark black cherry colour. Very floral, combined with some oak char. Rich and chewy. Plenty of ripe fruit though the tannins and acidity are a bit aggressive. (JH)

Darkest crimson with wide cherry rim. Fresh cassis with a light chocolate overlay and a little smoky. Juicy and more red-fruited on the palate. Not a great deal of flesh but the structure is toned down to match. Firm tannins emerge smoothly on the finish but they do not overwhelm the fruit. (JH)

Deep crimson. Gentle, dusty, inviting. Light, dry with dusty tannins. Strongly mineral note and really rather delicate. Not a great deal of depth but elegant. Paper-fine tannins and finishes fresh. (JH)

Deep dark cherry. Sweet – but not overly sweet – cherry fruit. A little drier than La Tour du Pin and a little sweeter. A light vanilla note too. Powder fine. Not as long as La Tour but still elegant. Pretty gentle overall. (JH) 13.5%

Quintus is the new name for Haut de Daugay and this is the first vintage under Dillon ownership (the estate was bought in June 2011). 54.3% Merlot, 45.7% Cabernet Franc.
Deep bright crimson. Fragrant with both red and dark fruit. Juicy, gently smoothed tannins. Refined tannins and pretty, lightly spiced fruit to a gentle lingering finish. (JH)

Formerly Tertre Daugay, thus creating the fifth grand vin for Domaine Clarence Dillon, hence Quintus. 15 ha planted, of which two-thirds Merlot (started picking 12 September) and one-third Cabernet Franc (finished picking end September). This vintage is a 50/50 blend and only 28% went into Quintus, 28% in Dragon and the rest declassified.
Deep black cherry crimson. Dark, rich and spicy. Very fresh, more marked acidity than the Dragon. Silky tannins. Not as much fruit as the Dragon, it seems. Longer though. Tight and lively and not at all dry. Good length too. The Dragon is biting at its heels. (JH) 13.9%

90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Glorious rich pure fruit. So expressive and vibrant on the nose. Soft and welcoming on the palate. Gentle, but firmly layered tannins and just fresh enough. Beguiling. (JH)

Deep crimson. Mocha on the nose, still with that stony dustiness of the Puy-Blanquet. A little bit flatter than the Puy-Blanquet though it's got the same elegant harmony. Smooth tannins. (JH)

20% Cabernet Franc, 80% Merlot. Black core. Dark and perhaps a little reductive. Coaly. Some char. More juicy on the finish but pretty savoury overall and slightly hard on the finish. Not trying too hard (that's a compliment). (JH)

4 ha out of 20 planted. Juicy and red fruited and really fresh. Lots of life and energy. Moderate length. (JH)

Property he is involved in with a group of investors called Win€vest Partners. 20 ha of vines on limestone (and they have acquired another 20 ha in Lussac, from which comes Le Rival). Around €10 retail.
Fragrant cassis. Lovely freshness and fine grip. Sweet and dark but well balanced. A little dusty on the nose. Fine grainy texture. Stephan von Neipperg says there are great sites in Puisseguin but many have been poorly planted in the past so they offer a good opportunity for good wines at good prices – but it is harder to create a brand in a lesser known appellation. (JH)

Darkest crimson, black core. Fragrant red fruit aroma, perhaps just a touch leafy or stemmy. Chewy and juicy fruited, the tannins a bit abrupt on the finish. The acidity sticks out a bit too. Jagged overall. (JH)

We tasted this before Roc de Cambes, which was harvested 10 days later than Tertre Roteboeuf, where the vine maturity was hastened by the August rain. Deep, dark cherry colour (though hard to tell in the cellar). Lovely aroma of red fruits, cherry and a touch of mocha. Smells (as I often find with TR) not a little burgundian. Denser on the palate but the tannins are very fine and although there are some dried fruit notes it is still very fresh. An intelligent tannin structure. (JH)

A Jonathan Maltus wine. Deep crimson. Ripe, intense and spicy. Unexpectedly juicy on the palate. Fresh, bright fruit, lots of spice, tannins coated in fruit. Fresh overall. (JH)

Deep greyish crimson. 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc. Perfumed and a little leafy. Fresh with just a hint of graphite. Juicy, refined tannins. Lithe and so elegant, just slips across the palate but lasts long. Tannins are dry and there's a cedary flavour in the middle but it just adds to the freshness. Lovely wine. Texture is refinement incarnate. Well done! (JH) 13.9%

Fresher, more fragrant dark fruit than the Pavie Maquin just tasted. Lively, fresh and chocolatey on the palate. Not a powerhouse but all the better for that, balanced and leaves the mouth fresh rather than wincing. Grainy tannins are not overly dry. Much more drinkable than the majority of these wines. (JH)

Deep black cherry colour, black core. Sweet but not overripe damson and plum. A touch floral and toasty/tarry too. Bags of black fruit, chocolate texture and flavour on the palate. (JH)

Rich black cherry colour. Toasty oak sweetness opening up to violets and ripe damsons. Smells rich and generous. Velvety smooth on the palate, still quite oaky. Harmonious but without a lot of energy. (JH)

Black as black, purple coal. Toasty chocolate aroma. Rich dark fruit encased in lots and lots of oak. Dense, chewy and just a touch bitter on the finish. I much prefer the lighter hand on Thuenvin's less expensive wines. Very hard to know how this will age. (JH)

Deep purplish crimson with black core. Peppery, lightly leafy, cedary. Very fresh acidity, juicy mid palate, a little lean in the middle but tactfully made so that the tannins, though dry, do not strangle the fruit. (JH)

Purple coal. Intense black fruit to the fore. Savoury and oaky on the palate but the depth of fruit stands up to it here. Very fresh acidity and a big beast but all just about in balance if you like big big wines. (JH)

Black with dark cherry rim. Fresh dark fruit, a little stalky. Then a bit green on the palate, so that the tannins, though only moderately dense, are rather hard. And the acidity is quite painful on the finish. (JH)