5 | Wine | Saint Emilion, $20 to $50 | Page 5

"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

"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

"The impressively endowed 2011 Faugeres is a big wine for the vintage, boasting an opaque ruby/purple color as well as notes of creosote, black currants, blueberries, coffee beans and toasty oak. This modern-styled, full-bodied, pure, textured, long St.-Emilion’s zesty acidity gives freshness and vibrancy to this big wine. It tips the scales at 14% natural alcohol, and is a blend of 85% Merlot with the rest primarily Cabernet Franc and a tiny bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. It should evolve for 15-20 years." -Robert Parker

"A successful effort in this vintage, Barde-Haut’s 2011 (90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc) from proprietor Helene Garcin exhibits soft black currant and black cherry fruit intertwined with hints of spice box, earth, vanillin and blue fruits. Medium-bodied with surprising density for a 2011, soft tannins, adequate acidity and a fine finish, it should age effortlessly for 10-15 years."
-Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 90 to 92 pts.

"This has solid flesh, with plum and cherry compote notes framed by a lightly taut plum skin edge. There's good spice through the finish. Well-extracted but not overdone."

"The wine exhibits a distinctive peppery, slightly herbaceous, exotic nose that initially is difficult to fathom. This rich, medium-bodied 2011 continues with a certain herbaceous streak that runs through the flavors. Nevertheless, there is impressive ripeness, concentration and density, and the tannins are velvety and well-integrated. If the green, peppery character calms down somewhat, my score should climb into the low 90s. However, this is not one of the top Larcis Ducasses made in the last 7-8 years."
-Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, 89 to 93 pts.

"This is lovely, with floral notes at first, which are then followed by pure, precise blueberry, plum and blackberry fruit aromas and flavors. Features a silky texture, fine acidity and a buried mineral hint on the finish. Classy."