Shop Wine

wines

(Château Hosanna) Hosanna, which is the former Certan-Giraud estate, is always one of the more black fruity examples of Pomerol, and the superb 2011 is no exception. The lovely and quite reserved nose offers up scents of dark berries, black raspberries, espresso, woodsmoke, dark soil tones and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bdoied and impressively light on its feet in 2011, with a fine core of fruit, firm, well-integrated tannins and excellent focus and grip on the long, chewy and very well-balanced finish. This will be another excellent Pomerol in a dozen years. (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 93 JGNow one of my favorite Pomerols (a 2005 tasted in Beijing, China recently was out of this world), the 2011 Hosanna does not have the power of that vintage, or 2009 and 2010, but it exhibits complex forest floor, floral, black raspberry and black cherry notes. With a savory, broad opulence as well as a medium to full-bodied appeal, this silky smooth, seductive, complex wine can be drunk now or cellared for a decade or more.Robert Parker | 93 RPAn impressive and powerful wine, with its tannins packed into rich flavors of bitter chocolate and black fruit.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA red with plum and milk-chocolate character, plus hints of hazelnut. Medium to full body with firm tannins and a fruity finish. Subtle and firm. Stylish cocoa, berry and mineral undertones. Better in 2016.James Suckling | 92 JSSports a briary edge, with an ample core of red currant and raspberry fruit, studded with anise, apple wood and incense notes. Still backward today, with the grip winning out, but all the pieces are in place. This should be a more classic, restrained version when it settles in fully. Best from 2017 through 2027. 1,365 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSBright, deep ruby-red. Highly perfumed aromas of sour red cherry, redcurrant, licorice, iron and minerals. Very suave on entry, then tactile and quite firm in the middle, with pungent flavors of sour red berries and spices. Tightly coiled, cool and reserved in the typical youthful Hosanna way, showing a restrained sweetness and obvious class. The very long finish is quite tannic but not hard, featuring excellent grip and subtle violet and mineral nuances. Forget about this in the cellar for another ten years.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Wonderful aromas of blackberries, Indian spices and currants with hints of dried flowers. Medium body, linear, tight and ultra-fine tannins and a fresh finish. Beautiful now but this will improve with age.James Suckling | 93 JSThis wine is characterized by both structure and rich fruitiness. A dark, smoky character brings out the solid tannins that underlie the black currant fruitiness and the balance. Although it doesn’t have power, an intensity gives a flavor that lasts in the mouth. Drink this wine from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA wonderful surprise today, the 2011 Les Forts de Latour is terrific. Pliant, silky and racy, the 2011 offers considerable suppleness and sheer appeal. Hints of sweet tobacco, herb, licorice, cloves and leather add aromatic nuance throughout, but it is the wine’s overall balance and feel that are most impressive. The 2011 will drink nicely for at least another handful of years. From a pure pleasure perspective, it is the most enjoyable of Latour’s three new releases at this stage.Vinous Media | 92 VM(Les Forts de Latour (barrel sample)) The 2011 Forts de Latour is an excellent and quite structured wine that will demand time in the cellar, but clearly reward those patient enough to tuck it away and forget it for twelve to fifteen years. Thirty-five percent of the blend this year is merlot, as more was relegated to the second wine than the grand vin in 2011. The bouquet on this superb Forts de Latour offers up a very pure, primary and classic mélange of sweet cassis, black cherries, cigar smoke, dark soil tones and a touch of nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and perfectly balanced, with a sappy core of fruit, excellent focus and grip and a very long, ripely tannic and powerful finish. I love the cooler fruit tones of the 2011 wines here, as with just a smidgeon over thirteen percent alcohol gives this wine a precision to its soil signature that is far superior to the more heady 2010 version. A very, very impressive second wine! (Drink between 2025-2055).John Gilman | 91+ JGThe 2011 Les Forts de Latour has a very refined bouquet, understated at first but gaining intensity in the glass with an attractive estuarine tincture developing and complementing the black fruit. Later on, there is a trademark touch of Pauillac mintiness coupled with black olives. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin and very good weight in the mouth, the fruit profile leaning more towards the red side of the spectrum than black. This feels lithe and supple in the mouth, fleshy and generous with a smooth finish that slips down the throat. Enjoy this now and over the next 15-20 years. Tasted March 2017.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMA tightly coiled version, with a strong iron base that keeps the core of plum, black currant and bitter cherry pinned down for now. A bolt of graphite courses through the finish. This is very solid, showing some serious cut. Best from 2016 through 2026. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Real depth of fruit, well judged in terms of its extraction. There is the black pepper spice of the vintage showing natural concentration but also a sense of black chocolate and blueberry. As it opens cedar, cinnamon and smoke appear. It’s austere as many are in 2011 but it has real promise. What a consistent wine this is. Harvest September 15 to 29. 60% new ok. A yield of 42hl/ha. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECOffers a good, sappy core of dark plum, blackberry and fig, layered with brambly tannins and smoldering charcoal accents. Mouthwatering acidity lends the finish cut and length, while the dark fruit plays out through the finish. Best from 2017 through 2026.Wine Spectator | 90 WSShows aromas and flavors of blueberries and minerals. Medium to full body, with polished tannins and a minerally aftertaste. Reminds me of the 2004.James Suckling | 89-90 JS

The 2011s are starting to open up and, given the general ho-hum view of the vintage, offer surprising quality and pleasure. The 2011 Pavie Decesse is the normal blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and offers a more evolved, approachable style compared to the primordial 2010. Blackcurrants, white truffle, lead pencil, new leathers, and loads of spice dominate the bouquet, and it’s beautifully complex and full-bodied, with present yet ripe tannins and a great finish. It’s a gorgeous, mineral-laced Saint-Emilion to drink over the coming two decades or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThis well-known estate situated on the limestone hillside above Pavie is produced from a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Another brilliant offering from the Perse family, the dense opaque purple-colored 2011 reveals plenty of floral notes intermixed with super-concentrated cassis and kirsch. The chalky limestone soils provide minerality to this full-bodied, powerful, concentrated St.-Emilion. Some tannins are noticeable, but they are sweet. This 2011 should be drinkable in 3-4 years and last for 15-20.Robert Parker | 94+ RPOffers driven fruit, with intense plum sauce, blackberry confiture and blueberry paste flavors, layered together and stitched with dark mocha and tobacco notes, all backed by a long, dense, velvet-textured finish. A showy style, but everything is in place. Best from 2016 through 2028. 580 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSWow. The smoky, berry, nut and ripe-fruit character is impressive in this wine. It’s full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a loads of oak on the finish. Some might find it too much, but it will come together with age. Try in 2018.James Suckling | 93 JS

One of the super classics of the vintage, the 2011 Peby Faugeres (100% Merlot) exhibits a dense blue/purple color as well as gorgeous aromas of acacia flowers, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. This full-bodied, concentrated wine has more in common with a 2009 or 2010 than most 2011s. The extravagant fruit character nearly conceals some sweet tannin in this masterpiece. Drink it over the next two decades or more.Robert Parker | 95 RPA full, very powerful wine for the vintage, with big, juicy fruit and velvety tannins. So much fruit and character here. A generous but polished wine for the vintage. Lots of blackberry and sexy wood character. Pure merlot. Try in 2017.James Suckling | 94 JSPure, fruit-laden and refined, with lovely blueberry, plum and blackberry notes that glide along, inlaid with licorice snap, fruitcake and hoisin sauce accents. The long finish drips with fruit, while a charcoal spine imparts balance. This estate is on a roll. Best from 2016 through 2026. 1,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSWhile there is 100% new wood, the weight of fruit in this expression is sufficient to power through. It will be an impressive wine.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

This is a perfumed, new wood-flavored wine. It has soft tannins and attractive acidity along with a drier core. Showing a rich potential, it will round out over the next four to five years. Drink from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEA sleeper of the vintage, the 2011 Meyney (which escaped the hailstorm that devastated the northern Pauillac border and St.-Estephe boundary line on September 1) possesses an opaque ruby/purple color as well as a big, sweet bouquet of black olives, black currants, charcoal and earth. Dense and medium to full-bodied, this classic St.-Estephe offers good acidity and ripe tannin. It should drink well for 12-15 years.Old timers undoubtedly remember Meyney’s brilliant track record in the decades of the 1970s and 1980s, and it appears things are back on track at this St.-Estephe estate.Robert Parker | 88-90 RPThe 2011 Meyney is a little gem of a wine. Still vibrant/ruby colored with a youthful bouquet of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, cedar, and earth, it’s medium to full-bodied, nicely textured, and has beautifully ripe tannin. This classic, satisfying Saint-Estèphe can be enjoyed anytime over the coming decade or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD

This Bordeaux Superieur from the gifted as well as uncompromising Yves Vatelot is a selection of the finest lots. An astonishingly rich, concentrated 2011 that competes with cru classes selling for 2 to 5 times as much, it boasts a dense purple color along with copious aromas of new saddle leather, spice box, lead pencil shavings, black currants, blackberries and a hint of espresso. This full-bodied, surprisingly rich effort must be tasted to be believed. It should last and improve for at least 5-7 years, perhaps as long as a decade. As it has been in many previous vintages, the 2011 Reignac is a major sleeper of the vintage. Kudos to Proprietor Vatelot!Robert Parker | 90+ RPThis is a little lean but I like the depth of mineral, berry and dark-chocolate character. Full body with firm tannins and a fresh finish. Racy wine. Better in 2016.James Suckling | 90 JSRipe and focused, with a very tasty beam of linzer torte and black cherry confiture, and good briary grip taking over on the finish.Wine Spectator | 88-91 WS