Bordeaux 2011 en primeurs results (Part 4)

Report 4 (April, 13th)2011 : 72 winesCôtes de Castillon, Premières Côtes de Blaye, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux, Côtes de Francs, Canon-Fronsac , Fronsac, Montagne-St-Emilion, Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion, Lussac Saint-Emilion.Situated mainly on the right bank, on cool clayey-limestone sub-soils, these appellations were for a long time neglected and, for decades, remained in the shadow of their warmer neighbours planted on early ripening, easier graves sub-soils. No one dared admit that part of the production, particularly around Castillon la Bataille, provided wine-merchants with “ vins médecins” - with no greenness and naturally rich in alcohol - to make up for the lean character in batches produced in other parts of the Bordeaux area - and would then find its way to AOC Bordeaux labels.In the early 2000s, the drive for quality shown by some estates in a booming wine economy - helped by a succession of Indian summers and generally favourable climatic conditions- allowed a revival of the terroir expression. Merlot is still leading the field but malbec and cabernet franc are gaining grounds. 2011 did not fail the area. The vines did not suffer from the lack of water, nor were they affected by grey rot. Many beautifully crafted gems from still relatively unknown but rising properties are to be found here. They are always a lovely surprise when I sample them at blind tastings. Make sure you do not miss them. ALCEE Côtes de Castillon 15,5 // 87 - 88 A new estate, recently bought by Nicolas Thienpont. 2 ha are ideally situated on the limestone plateau of Montbadon. A blend of 95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Gorgeous dark red. Pretty nose of ripe fruit and cream – extremely seductive from the start. Beautifully pulpy and tasty entry leading to a suave and polished palate, laden with fruit. Sappy long finish with lingering aromas in the persistence. This first sampling shows we are dealing with a great terroir. An amazing performance for a first vintage – but the vines are old and have been well tended by their former owner, who used to work at Château Puygueraud. A property to watch. AMPELIA Côtes de Castillon 13,75 // 83 Generous fruit on the nose. Soft and lifted palate. ARIA de Ch.La Rivière Fronsac 15,25 - 15,5 // 87 Bright purplish crimson. Discreet nose. Melting and pulpy palate, run through with fruit, taste and fleshy tannins - a touch over-extracted on finish. Average length.BARRABAQUE Prestige Canon-Fronsac 15,5 // 87 - 88 Bright purplish crimson. Fresh nose of ripe fruit. Pretty entry - one of the most enticing in Fronsac - leading to a generous, fat and tasty performance. Impeccably structured, well-coated on finish. Well-crafted, lovely wine. BEAUSEJOUR Montagne-St-Emilion 15 // 86 The malolactic fermentations have not yet been achieved and the wine shows a dense and fat character with plenty of fruit for the year. Average length. BEAUSÉJOUR 1901 Montagne-St-Emilion 15,75 // 88 The malolactic fermentations have not yet been achieved. Pretty wine offering a layered and silky palate. Rather generous throughout and boasting a lovely and savoury finish. BEL AIR LA ROYERE Premières Côtes de Blaye 15,25 // 87 Bright purplish crimson. Fresh nose of ripe fruit and spice. Soft, suave and delicately pulpy, laden with taste on the mid-palate. Well-built, with sap and vanilla on finish. Boasting fine-grained tannins and sapidity. Lovely. BELLE COLLINE Côtes de Blaye 15,25 // 87 Beautiful garnet hues. Nose of ripe fruit. Juicy, mellow and aromatic palate through to a well-coated and sappy finish. Substantial body for the year. CAP DE FAUGÈRES Côtes de Castillon 14 // 84 Intense red with garnet hues. Pretty and fragrant nose of fruit. Pleasant and fruity palate – on the light side. CARIGNAN Cuvée Prima Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 13,5 // 82 Mid-weight palate laden with fruit– but somewhat lacking a real backbone. Average length.CASSAGNE HAUT CANON LA TRUFFIÈRE Canon-Fronsac 14,75 - 15 // 85 - 86 Intense red with garnet hues. Nose of fruit –but not exceedingly fragrant. Soft, caressing and fruity palate, but not terribly powerful. Marked tannins on finish, but plenty of aromas lingering in the persistence. Average length. CHADENNE Fronsac 15,25 // 87 Utterly delicious. Chadenne’s delicate flesh and seamless palate is now a style to be reckoned with in Fronsac. Hard work and drive are paying off. Well-crafted and particularly enjoyable.CLARISSE Puisseguin-St-Emilion 14,25 // 84 - 85 Bright purplish crimson. Floral and fruity nose. Average body, a touch austere in the persistence. CLARISSE Vieilles Vignes Puisseguin-St-Emilion 15 - 15,25 // 86 - 87 Bright purplish crimson. Clean nose of ripe fruit and cream. Pretty entry with pulp. Round and savoury on the mid-palate leading to a sappy and deliciously pleasant persistence. Average length. CLOS CHAUMONT Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 13,75 // 83 Fruity and tasty wine. Light but pleasantly aromatic on finish. CLOS LOUIE Côtes de Castillon 16 - 16,25 // 88 - 89 Beautifully intense red with garnet hues. Refine nose of ripe fruit, with delicate notes of cream. Juicy and layered on the palate with fat and taste from start to finish. Well-coated tannins in the persistance. Average length.A fine example of Pascal Lucin’s skilful work – the man in charge of winemaking at Grand Pontet in Saint-Emilion. Clos Louie is his own property.CLOS LUNELLE Côtes de Castillon 15 // 86 Bright purplish crimson. Generous nose of ripe fruit and vanilla. Round, juicy and fairly substantial palate. Run through with taste and fruit. Average length. CLOS PUY ARNAUD Côtes de Castillon 16 // 88 - 89 Bright purplish crimson. Nose of truffle with delicate hints of resin backed by notes of cream then followed by lifted and zesty citrus whiffs. Soft, pulpy and suave palate on a velvety and particularly well-structured body. Delicious finish with spice and fruit lingering in the persistence. Boasting incredibly vibrant fruit and refine tannins. The focus is definitely on taste here – to me, this is a wine boasting all the qualities of a made-to-measure product - compared to mass-production on the neighbouring sites. One of the rare wines to show a proper finish this year. Well done! A superb example of the bio-dynamic approach! COTE MONTPEZAT Cuvée Compostelle Côtes de Castillon 13,75 // 83 A simple wine, but boasting lovely aromas. D'AIGUILHE Côtes de Castillon 15 // 86 Bright purplish crimson. Fragrant nose of fruit. Delicately pulpy mid-weight tasty palate. Pleasant and well-coated finish. Average length. DALEM Fronsac 15,25 - 15,5 // 87 A rising estate –judging by how the previous vintages perform in panel tastings. 2011 confirms the trend. Bright purplish crimson. Nose of fruit and cream. Round juicy and hedonistic palate. Beautiful merlot and perfectly integrated oak. Extremely pleasant and with more personality than ever before.DE CARLES Fronsac 14,5 // 85 Soft suave and plump palate. Average body and length. DE CARLMAGNUS Fronsac 14,75 // 85 - 86 Bright purplish crimson. Nose of fruit and truffle. Mellow, seamless palate. Average body. Pleasant finish. DE FRANCS "Les Cerisiers" Côtes de Francs 14,5 // 85 Bright purplish crimson. Generous nose, a touch animal. Pulp, fruit and lift on the palate. Very pleasant. Average length. DE LAUSSAC Côtes de Castillon 14,75 - 15 // 85 - 86 Intense red with garnet hues. Nose of ripe fruit and cream. Fruit and Southern notes coming through on the palate. Well-coated tannins. Average length and body. DE LUSSAC Lussac-Saint-Emilion 14 // 84 Getting better and better at finding the right balance between fruit, tannins and body. Tasty persistence. Average length. DES LAURETS Puisseguin-St-Emilion 14,5 - 14,75 // 85 Bright purplish crimson. Subdued and fresh nose of fruit. Suave and savoury palate. Average body, but with lovely pulp. Well-coated tannins. Average length. Pleasant wine. DOMAINE DE L'A Côtes de Castillon 16 - 16,25 // 88 - 89 Gorgeous glistening purplish crimson.Elegant and clean nose of ripe fruit. Pretty entry laden with fruit and extremely juicy. Tasty, plump and caressing palate. Picking up breadth and length from the mid-palate. Multi-layered, boasting fine-grained tannins and sap right to the finish. Minerality coming through in the persistence. A lovely wine by Stéphane Derenoncourt. DU COURLAT Lussac-Saint-Emilion 13,75 // 83 Soft and fruity on entry, more characteristically « Lussac », i.e tannic, on finish. Light-weight wine. DUBOIS GRIMON Côtes de Castillon 15 // 86 Beautiful dark red with garnet hues. Fresh nose of ripe fruit. Pulp and fruit on the mid-weight palate. Well-coated tannins. Average length. FONTENIL Fronsac 15,5 // 87 - 88 Intense garnet hues. Clean and pretty nose of fruit, with delicate oak. Plum, cherry and a hint of fudge on the refine and mellow palate. A seamless and deliciously fleshy wine by M. and D. Rolland. FOUGAS Côtes de Bourg 13,75 // 83 Garnet hue. Clean nose of fruit. Soft, mellow and distinctively merlot palate with fruit. Could have lingered more on finish. GIGAULT Cuvée Viva Premières Côtes de Blaye 15 // 86 Purplish crimson. Nose of ripe fruit - a touch cold. Showing structure for the appellation, with plenty of fruit, savours and average length. GUIBOT LA FOURVIEILLE Puisseguin-St-Emilion 15 // 86 Deep red with garnet hues. Still a little brisk on the nose. Round, melting and plump palate. Well-coated tannins. Average length. HAUT BALLET Canon-Fronsac 14,5 // 85 Deep red with garnet hues. Nose of fruit and cocoa. Fruity palate. Average length and body. HAUT BERNAT Puisseguin-St-Emilion 14,5 // 85 Rather austere. Curbed expression of fruit and average body. Showing more aromas on finish. HAUT BERTINERIE Premières Côtes de Blaye 13,25 // 81 Pleasant enough–but on the light side. HAUT CARLES Fronsac 15 // 86 Bright purplish crimson. Fruity, toasted nose. Soft, enjoyable, savoury and mid-weight palate. HAUT MAZERIS Fronsac 14,75 // 85 - 86 Glossy purplish crimson. Pretty nose of fruit and cream. Mellow on entry, particularly pleasant on the mid-palate and a touch firmer on finish. Average length. HOSTENS PICANT CUVÉE LUCULLUS Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux 14,75 // 85 - 86 Intense deep red. Subdued nose of fruit. Plenty of fruit and lovely savours on the mid-weight and tasty palate. Well-coated tannins and average length. Very pleasant indeed, even if a touch light. HOSTENS PICANT Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux 14 // 84 Fairly intense deep red. Nose of fruit. Thoroughly enjoyable performance, with sap and plenty of taste. Well-built and aromatic palate, but tannins coming to the fore on finish.LA CROIX LARTIGUE Côtes de Castillon 15,25 // 87 Intense garnet hues. Clean nose of fruit - pretty and refine. Pulpy entry, mellow, sappy and aromatic mid-palate. Refine tannins in the persistance. Perfectly enjoyable. LA DAUPHINE Fronsac 15 // 86 Bright purplish crimson. Pretty nose of fruit, with just a hint of truffle. Wonderfully clean expression of fruit on the round and juicy palate. Fine overall performance. LA MAURIANE Puisseguin-St-Emilion 15,75 // 88 Intense deep red with garnet hues. Nose of fruit - fresh and ripe at the same time – quite subtle. Seamless, plump and fat palate layered with taste. Delicately coated and perfumed tannins. A good, generous wine from an estate that is surely and steadily gaining in finesse.LA PASSION DE CHAUMONT Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 15,25 // 87 Intense deep red with garnet hues. Subtle, floral and fruity nose. Dense on entry then revealing generous fruit and savours. Boasting fat and well-coated tannins on the long aromatic palate. Sap and aromas in the persistence. Sapid and particularly pleasant from start to finish. One of the crus Hubert de Bouard recommends. LA PRADE Côtes de Francs 14,75 // 85 - 86 Deep dark red. Clean nose of fruit – quite pretty. Soft and juicy palate. Mid-weight body and seductive fruit. Tannins a touch marked on finish. LA RIVIERE Fronsac 14,75 // 85 - 86 Intense deep red with garnet hues. Nose of fruit. Pleasant and soft palate, with crunchy fruit and well-coated tannins. Average length. LA ROSE PERRIERE Lussac-Saint-Emilion 13,75 // 83 Soft and fruity, but unfortunately lacking a real frame. Average length. LA ROUSSELLE Fronsac 15,25 // 87 Intense deep red. Nose of fruit and vanilla. Floral palate, with lift and plenty of fruit. Seductive body. Average length. LA VIEILLE CURE Fronsac 15 // 86 Deep intense red, with garnet hues. Vibrant nose - a fireworks of red fruits surging from the glass. Soft and suave palate, seductively round and pulpy through to the savoury persistence. LE DÉFI DE FONTENIL Fronsac 16,5 - 16,75 // 90 - 91 Made in Fronsac but not bearing the name anymore ever since in 2000 Michel and Dany Rolland decided to try out plastic sheeting in the vineyards to prevent water from sipping through the soil. This cru regularly takes first place. Deep red with garnet hues. Subtle and refine nose of ripe fruit. Generously full but melting with grace and boasting a delicate tactile feel and fine-grained tannins on the palate. Poised and well-built through to a long and layered length with lingering savours in the persistence. A 100% merlot blend from cool sub-soils giving out a wonderfully new, refreshing and elegant expression of fruit. Well done! LE DOYENNE Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 13 // 80 Nose of fruit. Discreet and lifted palate. LES GRANDS MARÉCHAUX Premières Côtes de Blaye 14,5 // 85 Boasting plenty of fruit on the juicy and soft palate. Average length. LES TROIS CROIX Fronsac 15,25 // 87 Beautiful bright purplish crimson. Nose of fruit, vanilla and spice. Delicate pulp and aromas on the palate. Good presence throughout, with well-coated tannins and plenty of taste. Lingering savours on finish. LYONNAT Cuvée émotion Lussac-Saint-Emilion 14,5 // 85 Bright purplish crimson. Nose of fruit. Round and fruity palate, a touch firm on finish. Average length. MAGDELEINE BOUHOU Côtes de Blaye rouge 15 // 86 Lovely deep red. Nose of fruit and spice. Soft, seductive, juicy and fruity palate - boasting no great body but well-built and particularly tasty.MESSILE AUBERT Montagne-St-Emilion 13 // 80 Nose of fruit and vanilla. Over-discreet on the palate. MONT PÉRAT Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 13 // 80 Light and almost sweet on the palate. . MONTLANDRIE Côtes de Castillon 15,75 // 88 Coup de coeurThe 3rd vintage for this estate belonging to Denis Durantou, the talented winemaker for L’Eglise Clinet at Pomerol. After working on clay and graves, he is now applying his skills to clayey-limestone soils – the way the 2009 and 2010 have evolved is proof of his successful approach. A blend of 72% merlot and 28% cabernet franc. Gorgeously intense garnet hues. Clean and fruity nose with nuance. Superb, juicy entry leading to a plump tasty, layered and powerful palate showing elegant tannins. Still picking up momentum on the beautifully lingering length. A wine of remarkable balance. Highly recommended. MOULIN HAUT LAROQUE Fronsac 16 // 88 - 89 Dark purplish crimson. Discreet but deliciously suave and fruity nose. Fat entry with delicate fruit then unfurling layers of aromas on the impeccably structured and savoury palate. Generously fat and ethereal at the same time. Spicy long finish with tasty and unbelievably well-coated tannins. A beauty - by Jean-Noël Hervé. MOULIN LISTRAC Puisseguin-St-Emilion 15,25 // 87 The first vintage crafted by Stéphane Derenoncourt’s team. Deep red. Refine fruity nose of ripe fruit and cream. Lifted, plump and fat palate with well-coated tannins. Generous and full, given the year. A success. MOULIN PEY LABRIE Canon-Fronsac 14,75 // 85 - 86 Rather discreet. I expected more. PUYGUERAUD Côtes de Francs 15 // 86 Intense red with garnet hues. Clean nose of fruit with hints of citrus zests. Suave and delicately round and velvety palate right through to the finish. A wine of poise, showing no sign of faltering on the mid-palate. Very pleasant indeed. RECLOS DE LA COURONNE Montagne-St-Emilion 13,25 // 81 A faint whiff of oxydation on the nose. Soft and fruity palate, unfortunately lacking tension. Average length. REYNON Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 15 // 86 Intense deep red with garnet hues. Fresh and youthful nose of fruit with touches of cocoa. Juicy and velvety palate - with lots of fruit on the mid-palate. Average body through to the elegant and tasty finish. Poised and extremely sapid - by Denis Dubourdieu. ROC DE CALON Montagne-St-Emilion 13 // 80 Subdued nose of fruit. Over-discreet on the palate. SOLEIL Puisseguin-St-Emilion 14,5 // 85 Gorgeous deep red with garnet hues. Nose of fruit – with a hint of truffle. Pleasant palate, laden with fruit, if slightly light. Average length. SOLEIL LE RIVAL Lussac-Saint-Emilion 15,25 // 87 A suave and substantial wine boasting fat and taste on a long and persistent palate. Sheer pleasure. The best Lussac I know. A beauty - by Stéphane de Neipperg. ( Make sure you taste the 2009 and 2010 too). VEYRY Côtes de Castillon 15,25 - 15,5 // 87 Dark purplish crimson. Clean and charming nose of vanilla and fruit. Plump and tasty palate with lovely soft tannins. Average length on finish.A wine of poise by Christian Veyry, also consultant for Chadenne, Bel La Royère and Dalem. VIEUX CHÂTEAU PALON Montagne-St-Emilion 13,75 // 83 Over-discreet and quite light on the palate. Average length. VILLARS Fronsac 14,75 // 85 - 86 Bright ruby red. Nose of fruit, a touch discreet. Average body on a round, suave and seamless palate.VRAI CANON BOUCHÉ Canon-Fronsac 14,75 - 15 // 85 - 86 Round fruity palate with plenty of taste and well-coated tannins. Average length. Kind regards Jean-Marc Quarin __________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2010.This publication is the original work of Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, BP 40, Le Taillan-Médoc. France. - E-mail : jmquarin@quarin.com The news media and subscribing wine distributors, importers and retailers may use portions of this material (such as tasting notes, ratings or quotes) provided that it is not distorted, the proper wine and vintage are stated, www.quarin.com is given credit for the material utilized, and Jean-Marc Quarin (JMQ) is shown as the Copyright holder.

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Bordeaux 2011 en primeurs results (Part 4)

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