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"The 2011 Carruades de Lafite is composed of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Soft berry fruit, underbrush, fresh herb and bay leaf characteristics as well as soft tannins, a velvety texture, and a medium-bodied, slightly superficial, but satisfying style suggest this 2011 should be consumed over the next 10-15 years."
-Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 87 to 89 pts.

"This has a richness that stands out for 2011, delivering roasted fig and plum flavors, with good smoldering tobacco and black tea notes, before the tangy damson plum and iron elements more typical of the vintage finally start to emerge on the finish. Tasted non-blind."

"This is a step ahead of the pack, with concentration but gentle texture to the plum, cassis and linzer torte flavors, which are inlaid with black tea and singed fennel seed notes. Long and graceful through the finish, with latent depth."
-Wine Spectator, 91 to 94 pts.

"Another brilliant wine from proprietor Denis Durantou, the powerhouse 2011 l’Eglise Clinet is one of the most densely packed and stacked wines of Pomerol. Inky ruby/purple-colored with a classic bouquet of black currants, black cherries, creme caramel and vanillin, it reveals great fruit on the attack and mid-palate, medium to full body, lavish extraction, no bitterness, sweet, well-integrated tannins, and enough acidity for vibrancy and definition. It should be drinkable in 3-5 years and last for two decades or more." -Robert Parker

"One of the vintage’s stars, the 2011 Ducru Beaucaillou is a riveting blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. It boasts an inky/blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of creme de cassis, licorice, subtle wood smoke and spring flowers, a surprising, full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning intensity, purity, symmetry and length. Production at this estate used to be 12,000-15,000 cases, but after instituting a strict selection in addition to the smallest yields ever at this vineyard, it is down to 9,000 cases. The 2011 has considerable tannin, but it is soft and well-integrated. It should drink well for 20+ years. Readers should also be aware of just how sensational the second wine can be."-Robert Parker

"An impressive effort, this 2011 exhibits a dense saturated ruby/purple color along with lots of graphite, black currant and camphor notes, medium to full body, and surprising depth, richness and length. Tannins are present, but they are relatively sweet and unobtrusive. A crisp character gives the wine vibrancy as well as impressive delineation. It should drink well for 15+ years."
-Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 91 to 93 pts.

"Offers pure, driven plum, cassis and black cherry notes inlaid with graphite and roasted wood spice. Dense without being overextracted. Very sleek. Rock-solid."

"A very ripe, vivid style, with warm linzer torte, cherry confiture and blackberry jam flavors laced with ample toast and roasted wood spice notes. This has heft, but also enough polish through the finish, thanks to well-embedded acidity."
-Wine Spectator, 89 to 92 pts.

"The 2011 Clos de Sarpe represents a return to form after a somewhat underachieving 2009. This small 12+ acre vineyard had remarkably low yields of 16 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend from the proprietor, Monsieur Beyney, was 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Along with La Fleur Morange, this is one of the most powerful wines of the vintage (15% natural alcohol). While most top vintages of Clos de Sarpe reveal excruciatingly high levels of tannin, the 2011’s tannin levels are very manageable and the tannin is remarkably sweet and well-integrated, giving this wine more charm and appeal at an early age than one normally sees. Nevertheless, it is a powerful, opaque purple-colored wine displaying notes of incense, blueberry and blackberry liqueur and spring flowers. Concentrated, full-bodied and multidimensional with lots of intensity as well as the aforementioned sweet tannins, it should drink well for at least two decades."-Robert Parker

"Another top-notch success, the 2011 (70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) hit 15% natural alcohol. Yields were a low 30 hectoliters per hectare, and the harvest occurred quite late. The result is a dense purple-colored wine with a stunning bouquet of blackberry jam, graphite, charcoal and blueberries. With superb density and purity as well as a multidimensional mouthfeel, this intense St.-Emilion is a sleeper of the vintage, although consumers are catching on to the exquisite quality emerging from La Fleur Cardinale. The 2011 should drink well for 15+ years." -Robert Parker

"A big, broad-shouldered style, with lots of bittersweet cocoa and coffee up front, followed by thick-textured blackberry and black currant fruit. Shows a bit more brute force than purity right now, though hard to deny the concentration and depth. Could move up if it stretches out and gains some finesse."
-Wine Spectator, 90 to 93 pts.

"Once again proprietor Alfred Tesseron has produced a wine of first-growth potential. One of the superstars of the vintage, Pontet-Canet’s 2011 exhibits an opaque purple color and a glorious bouquet of incense, subtle toast and copious quantities of creme de cassis. There is a floral underpinning, decent acidity and ripe tannin to this full-bodied effort. Big, rich, round and generously endowed, it should drink well for 20-25+ years." -Robert Parker

"Always among the sexiest, most opulent and flamboyant wines of the vintage, Croix de Labrie’s 2011 offers stunningly ripe Merlot fruit in its luxurious, easily understood, irresistible personality. Lots of ripe fruit as well as a disarming style make for a wine to drink during its first decade of life. It’s a winner!" -Robert Parker

"A very classic wine, the 2011 is inky purple, with a superb aromatic display of black raspberry, cassis, chocolate, forest floor and some vague smoky, barbecue scents. Full-bodied, powerful, pure and impressively rich, this blend of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol."
-Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 92 to 94 pts.

"Quite expressive, offering bright blueberry and raspberry aromas and flavors, with lots of lightly toasted spice flittering through the long, silky finish. Showing lovely purity, this is a really beautiful, tender expression for the vintage."

"A strong effort, the 2011 Montrose exhibits a dense ruby/purple color in addition to abundant black currant and boysenberry fruit notes intermixed with white chocolate, damp earth, truffle and camphor. Medium to full-bodied with sweet tannin and impressive concentration, this blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot hit nearly 13% natural alcohol (relatively high in Bordeaux, but lower than the 13.2% in 2009 and 13.8% in 2010). The 2011 should drink well for 15 or more years."
-Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 91 to 93 pts.

"This has aromatic range and depth of fruit, offering enticing dark currant, plum and blackberry notes that show lots of savory herb and racy chalk notes, with a long, gravelly finish. A terrific effort in one of the more heterogeneous appellations of the vintage."