Our first appointment as in previous years was a 9am meeting at Chateau Pavie, to taste the wines of Gerard Perse. Driving up to the estate it was clear by the extensive construction on-going that Pavie (along with many other estates in Bordeaux) had benefited from two extremely good vintages in recent years. Due to this construction work, our usual tasting venue was unavailable so we made our way to the temporary chai further along the hillside. After tasting the familiar set of wines it was clear that Gerard Perse had produced another great set of wines. Monbousquet was delicious again but in true fashion to the 2011 vintage showed lovely restraint and freshness. The most serious wines, Pavie and Bellevue Mondot were true to their styles, masculine, powerful and generously endowed. Excellent none the less and if this was an early indication as to what to expect from the better estates on the Right Bank, we left Chateau Pavie expectant of good things to follow, and why not….we were off to Chateau Ausone.

It’S always a pleasure to taste at Chateau Ausone. The surrounding are beautiful, the Chai very smart and importantly the wines are a joy, top to bottom. Fonbel and Simard impressed at the entry level. Moulin St George was stunning and is always great value on release. Finally the showstoppers. First Chapelle d’Ausone with its vibrant colours and feminine bouquet. Super elegant and fine. This is consistently one of the best second wines produced in Bordeaux in recent years and worthy of a place in any collectors cellar….if you can find some of the 800 cases produced. Finally Ausone, one of the finest wines produced in 2009 and 2010, it was clear from the earlier wines in the tasting the 2011 was going to follow suit and it did not disappoint. Beautiful perfume and a texture to the fruit we had seen in few wines before. There is always something effortless with Ausone, a graceful quality and precision many Chateaux can only dream of achieving. This 2011 was remarkable and we all agreed would sit somewhere near the top of the pile when the vintage appraisal was completed. Sadly with such extreme levels of quality comes extended prices, but if you have an opportunity to secure a few bottles of this we urge you to do so.

With works being carried out at the Ch. Angelus, our visit was moved to Hubert de Bouard’s micro-project in the Lalande-de-Pomerol at Chateau La Fleur de Bouard. Carillon de Angelus was again another great example of a second wine and showed that where the estates have the money they are able to continue the improvement of their wines at this level, even in a vintage where many other estates have struggled. The Grand Vin, Angelus, was a treat. Beautifully focused, with wonderful character and class. They had nailed it in 2011, another great wine from Hubert de Bouard.

With a hectic schedule today on the Right Bank we found ourselves hopping from one appellation to the other. From Lalande-de-Pomerol we headed south to the Pomerol UGC tasting at Chateau Beauregard. The Pomerol UGC tasting is the smallest UGC of the week with just 9 wines to taste, but as an appellation with much interest it is always important for us to have a look at those wines that sit below the iconic wines of this iconic appellation. Standouts at the lower level were Le Croix de Gay and La Pointe, both of with will offer real value. La Conseillante and Clinet continued their reign at the top of the tree, but with hugely contrasting styles. La Conseillante, graceful and elegant and Clinet more masculine and powerful. Both exceptional wines in their own rights.

Having completed a busy morning’s tasting we headed off to Chateau La Dominique to meet Yannick Evenou for a tasting of the wines within Monsieur Fayat’s expanding empire, a spot of lunch and some older vintages. It was clear from La Dominique’s performances in 2009 and 2010 that this is a St Emilion estate in resurrection. Its vineyards are enclosed on three sides by Chateau Figeac and Chateau Cheval Blanc in St Emilion and by L’Evangile in Pomerol to the North, very hallowed turf indeed. Yannick took us on a tour of the property explaining their plans for a new Chai, a perfect riposte to the space-aged new Chai at Cheval Blanc. It was clear that there were big plans for La Dominique and we were eager to see if they had continued this recent run of form with their 2011. Also under the ownership of Monsieur Fayat are Chateau Clemen Pichon, in the Haut Medoc and a new property in Pomerol Chateau Fayat. A name we were not overly familiar with, it was explained that in 2009 a decision was taken to merge three smaller Pomerol estates under one new name. It turned out to be an inspired decision as we tasted the three vintages that this Pomerol estate has produced to date, 2009, 2010 and 2011. We all agreed this was an estate that should be followed closely over the coming years as it could possibly provide the Holy Grail of wine production in this tiny commune….a Pomerol that is affordable and great value for money.

Off to Chateau Cheval Blanc and with the close proximity to La Dominique we were able to make the short walk through the vineyards and into the new Chai. There had been much anticipation with the new Chai at Cheval Blanc, when completed would it improve the tranquil rolling countryside of St Emilion or would it sit like a white Elephant in and amongst several hundred years of tradition. The jury will be somewhat divided on this subject but one thing that is clear is Cheval Blanc’s new chai must rank among some of the most state of the art wineries in the world. Hugely impressive! As expected the pick of the wines from this stable were Cheval Blanc and Chateau d’Yquem, no surprises there. Cheval, like many of the wines at the top of the tree possessed a wonderful grace and elegance, with beautiful proportion. Chateau d’Yquem is always an exciting wine to taste during the En-Primeur season and especially so given the early hype of 2011 as a high quality Sauternes vintage. Having already experienced a number of wines at the Sauternes and Barsac UGC we were all eager to see just how good d’Yquem would be this year. Not an ounce of disappointment. The aromatics on bringing the glass to ones nose made it instantly clear that we were soon to experience something special. The palate delivered wave after wave of tropical fruits, so precise and balanced in its attack. Wonderful texture this was light years ahead of any sweet wine tasted this year as it should be. The question was just how good an d’Yquem is it? Up there with the best of them was what we finally agreed on, only time will tell where exactly it sits, but comfortably alongside the great trio of ’88,’89 and 90 for sure. A marvel of sweet wine-making…Happiness in a glass!!

Quick visits to Vieux Chateau Certan and L’Evangile completed our Chateaux visits in Pomerol and needless to say both estates produced excellent wines. The L’Evangile in particular showed a seductive class of first rate proportions.

Our penultimate visit of the day was at Chateau Soutard for the St Emilion UGC tasting. Having seen the quality produced at the handful of estates visited earlier in the day we were all interested to see how the rest of the region had faired across the levels. As has been a hallmark of the vintage, this really is a year where the cream has risen to the top and those estates with the tools to cope with a challenging vintage like 2011 faired extremely well. Troplong Mondot produced another great wine, if in its own style, Figeac, Canon la Gaffelliere and Pavie Macquin excelled again as they did in 2009 and 2010, Beausejour-Becot was the surprise over-performer in a room full of exalted names but the one estate that stood out for us was Clos Fourtet. A consistent high performer since 2005 this lesser known St Emilion estate has more than nailed it over the last 3 vintages and has elevated itself alongside the great names of the region. Their 2011 was nothing short of exceptional and is one wine from 2011 that should be sought out by every wine lover and collector…hopefully it will continue to offer that same good value that it has in previous years.

Tired at the end of a long day we had one final Chateaux visit, a new name to our En-Primeur schedule, Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf. It was clear on arrival that this tiny St Emilion estate does not worry itself with all the finery and grandeur of some of its peers. We were greeted at the door by a very quiet, reserved but jolly man Francois Mitjavile, who ushered us towards his barrel cellar where we would taste his wines. This was a world away from our earlier tasting at Cheval Blanc with its impressive technological Chai, this was a throwback to Burgundy and winemaking on a small scale. It was clear from talking with Francois that he was a hugely intelligent and talented winemaker whose knowledge and understanding of his subject was second to none. In line with everything we had experienced so far with this visit, the tasting was not conducted out of bottle but rather in the more traditional style, straight from the barrel, spittoon were not provided, rather any spitting was done simply into a hole in the floor. The 2011 Tertre-Roteboeuf was a real treat, gorgeous texture, wonderful depth of fruit, focus and precise. This was extremely smart and certainly one of the finest wines we had tasted on the Right Bank this week. It is just a shame that production is small and this stunning wine is difficult to lay ones hands on. Other wines tasted included Francois’s Cotes des Bourg estates Roc des Cambes and Domaine des Cambes, both of which were excellent in their style and deliver far and beyond their price point. Just when this hugely enjoyable tasting was drawing to an end we were asked what could only be construed as a rhetorical question – “Would you like to taste my 2010’s?” – Not one to turn down an opportunity to put the 2011 vintage in perspective we were all smiles and nodded like giddy schoolchildren and followed Francois into another part of the cellar. Every bit as good as expected, this was a real vinous treat.

With lots to discuss about our days tasting on the Right Bank we said our goodbyes and headed back home to prepare for our final day tasting in Bordeaux.

Our first appointment of the day was at Chateau Haut Brion to taste the wines of both this estate and its sister Chateau La Mission Haut Brion. After a relatively stress free journey we found the estate with no trouble at all. Entering the tasting room at Haut Brion there is always the feel of going back to school. This is wine tasting under exam conditions!! If only every exam in life was as enjoyable as this one. This year we were presented with a pair of new wines that had become part of the Clarence-Dillon stable. A recent acquisition in St Emilion, the estate was purchased and re-named as Chateau Quintas. Named so as it represented the 5th wine in the collection. Both the Grand Vin and its second Le Dragon de Quintas were pleasant enough but we had not come to taste wines from St Emilion and were keen to move onto the wines of the Graves. Both the La Chapelle and Le Clarence showed their usual class but it was both the Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion that really tickled the taste buds. Both these Grands Vins showed the depth and complexity that we have come to expect from all of the Frist Growths estates and as is becoming an annual tradition there was plenty of debate as to whether Haut Brion was preferred to La Mission or vice versa….what a terrible predicament to find oneself in, having to decide whether we preferred one or the other of these equally brilliant wines. We finished as always with the whites from these estates and again they all delivered. Not at the same level as we had breathtakingly seen in 2009 and 2010, however both the Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion Blancs were clearly accomplished wines and will unquestionably find themselves again at the top of their category. Price is always a question mark regarding these wines as they continue to be prohibitively expensive, however with miniscule production and even more so in 2011, only the luckiest of collectors are likely to find these wines in their collections.

Where to from here? It is always difficult to follow First Growths in these En-Primeur tastings and on today the mantle fell to Chateau Pape Clement to impress. After the recent re-rating of the 2009’s by Robert Parker and the magical 100 points being achieved by the Pape Clement Blanc we were all keen to taste both the red and white who have both been consistently excellent in recent years. Huge investment from Bernard Magrez in his flagship wines has been rewarded with this rise in quality and Pape Clement’s positioning as one of the very finest estates of this much overlooked wine region. We were all stunned once again. Whilst, like many of Magrez’s wine projects, these are certainly made to a style, both the white and the red were brilliant. Not for the shy and retiring there is plenty offered up by both these wines.

From Pape Clement we headed to Chateau de Fieuzal for the Graves UGC tasting and a spot of lunch. As with many of the estates that we had visited throughout the week, much improvement to the Chateaux and Chais was evident, the product no doubt of back to back bumper vintages in ’09 and ’10. Standouts in this tasting included many of the old favourites. Domaine de Chevalier showed wines of elegance and charm both in their white and red, Haut Bailly showed a more masculine style of the highest quality and with much polish. At the lower end, and with no surprise, Haut Bergey excelled at its level with both red and white. Consumers looking to enjoy wines of the Graves without the expense of the top estates need look no further than this charming estate. The show however was stolen by Smith Haut Lafitte. A brilliant white, with such restraint and finesse, this was one of the very best whites tasted during the week. The Rouge possessed a purity and freshness that we had not yet seen in the room and a super fine silken texture and balance that we had only experienced to date from the very finest wines of the vintage. A must buy in our book and providing pricing remains in check with expectation will represent one of the bargains of the campaign. It is clear that over recent years Smith Haut Lafitte has upped its game considerably highlighted in spades by the 100 point re-rating of their 2009 and this brilliant 2011.

With our tastings in the Graves finished we enjoyed the delicious lunch and hospitality of Chateau de Fieuzal with a glass of their second wine L’Abeille de Fieuzal. All that stood between us now and a cold beer at the end of the day was our visit to Chateau Kirwan and the UGC Sauternes and Barsac tasting. This region of Bordeaux has had a real run of decent vintages of late and there has been much talk about the quality of the 2011’s. We had an early sighting at Chateau Pichon Baron on Monday with Chateau Suduiraut and our early excitement was confirmed with some extremely strong showings from Chateau de Fargues, Rieussec and both Doisy Daene and Doisy Verdrines. The very best wines showed a beautiful freshness that kept these often over rich wines light on their feet. Many will be highly enjoyable both before dinner as an aperitif or afterwards with pudding.

Another day’s tasting completed and the puzzle was coming together. Just the wines of the Right Bank left to taste.

After another successful year at Ducru Beaucaillou we headed off to our first UGC tasting to get a broader impression of how the mid tier Chateaux had performed in 2011. First stop, Chateau Lagrange for the wines of St Estephe, Pauillac and St Julien. The UGC tastings always give a good impression as to the number of visitors to Bordeaux in a given year and as such the potential interest in the upcoming vintage. 2009 was a nightmare, a real bunfight to get to and taste the wines however there seem to be a much calmer approach at this first UGC, maybe the tasting hall was a little bigger so gave the impression of more space. We tasted through St Julien first, then Pauillac and finally St Estephe. St Julien had a strong showing, good performance came from Branaire Ducru, Gruaud Larose and Lagrange and our first sightings of Leoville Barton and the much improved St Pierre were extremely promising. A second tasting of Leoville Poyferre confirmed what we had already thought from our tasting the previous afternoon. An excellent wine and one of the finest from this appellation.

Pauillac was a little more mixed in quality than St Julien but the highs were definitely much higher. A first tasting of Batailley impressed with another gorgeously ripe wine that will be hugely enjoyable in the not too distant future and as continues to be the cases with this estate brilliant value. Second showings of Clerc Milon, Grand Puy Lacoste, Lynch Bages and both Pichons again confirmed what had been tasted at their respective Chateaux earlier in the week and proving that when the 2011’s are good, they are very good. Highlights from Pauillac at the UGC have to include Grand Puy Lacoste and the pick of the bunch a stellar Pichon Baron. Finally a small selection from St Estephe, took no time at all and we were all impressed hugely by Lafon Rochet and Phelan Segur, two estates who have upped their game over the last 5 years or so and really do produce hugely enjoyable claret that remains incredibly affordable.

With an hour or so before our next Chateaux appointment with Lillian Barton at Chateau Leoville Barton, we headed off to Chateau Camensac for the UGC tasting of the Haut Medoc. Having already tasted several wines at the lower levels and found much inconsistency we were hopeful for an improvement in the wines to come. A real mixed bag and we were left disappointed with many estates that had produced delicious wines in 2009 and 2010. Many of these wines will simply not be feasible in an en-primeur campaign and we left struggling to think of reasons to buy them as a future. That said, there was another strong performance by Cantemerle and Poujeaux and delicious wines made by La Lagune and Chasse Spleen – the stalwarts of the appellation and all wines that hopefully will offer great value when purchased during en-primeur.

Leaving Chateau Camensac we drove north for our rendezvous at Chateau Leoville Barton, having seen both this and the Langoa Barton at the earlier St Julien UGC tasting we had a quick taste and our initial thoughts were confirmed. Both of these wines are delicious this year and like Chateau Latour yesterday have benefited from the fresher more finessed style of the vintage. One extra wine, new to us this year was Chateau Mauvesin-Barton in St Estephe. A new acquisition by Lillian and Anthony and a fine one at that. This will no doubt be popular back home with its association to the Barton name but the quality and value it delivers will more than justify its attention. One to watch.

We said our goodbyes to Lillian, next stop Chateau Marquis de Terme for the Margaux UGC. On arrival we were greeted with swathes of people and an extremely full tasting room. Any preconception that there were less tasters in Bordeaux this year had been blown out of the water, this would be hard work. As the biggest commune on the Left Bank there were plenty of wines on show, standouts include Lascombes, Cantenac Brown and Brane Cantenac with both Giscours and Du Tertre producing fine efforts. All wines worthy of attention in 2011.

With the UGC’s completed and a good look at the mid tier estates from Margaux, we headed off further south for our final two tastings of the day. Chateau Margaux first followed by Chateau Palmer. A tough life I know. There is always an air of grandeur when visiting Chateau Margaux, whether that comes from the tranquil setting of the estate or from an incredibly high expectation of arguably the most consistent First Growth I am not sure but one this I am certain of is that Chateau Margaux produced mind bogglingly good wines in 2009 and 2010 and we couldn’t wait to see what we were in store for with their 2011. Off into the vat room, for a brief introduction of Chateau Margaux in 2011 and then first up it was Pavillon Rouge. Over the last few years we have all become used to Chateau owners stating proudly that this is the greatest so and so they have ever produced, with Pavillon Rouge the 2009 was spectacular, 2010 even better and as cliché as it might sound this 2011 might well be even better still. One thing’s for sure it is not inferior, and if anything these previous three wines can be separated only from a stylistic perspective. Fragrance, freshness and a wonderfully silken texture, this is everything one comes to expect from the top wines in the Margaux appellation and whilst this blew everything we had tasted so far from Margaux out of the water, we still had the Grand Vin to taste. Imagine all the qualities of the Pavillon Rouge and multiply them by five, such depth, such finery, such class. Silken, seductive and an incredible texture that is hard to describe. Incredible harmony, joyous, majestic….supreme. Wine of the vintage by far and a special glass of wine regardless of year. So in summary, we really liked it….!!

As if this estate had anything more to give, we braced ourselves for the final wine the Pavillon Blanc de Margaux. Always a treat to sample Pavillon Blanc during the en-primeur week, mainly because they make so little of it, it is just about the only time in our lives we get the opportunity to taste some. Less than a 1000 cases produced, tasting this white is almost academic as there simply isn’t enough to go around, which is a shame because it is absolutely stunning. Again, the wine was introduced as the best Pavillon Blanc ever produced and we would again have to agree. Tremendously exotic, mineral and fine. Impeccable balance, focus and precision. A delight!! One thing was clear after this tasting; Chateau Margaux had absolutely nailed it this year.

After the delights at Chateau Margaux we headed off to our final appointment of the day and our last Chateau visit on the Left Bank at Chateau Palmer. A new tasting room compared to previous visits, but the same story with regards to the wine. Alter Ego was as good as we have ever tasted it, a really grown up wine equal in quality to many of the finest wines we had seen at the Margaux UGC tasting and as for the Grand Vin, simply divine. Generous fruit, perfumed with glorious texture. A runner up to Margaux but leagues ahead of anything else from this commune. A superb Palmer for sure. With the Left bank effectively completed we headed home to prepare ourselves for the evening’s festivities.

First stop Calon-Segur for what has to be the earliest wine tasting many of us have ever attended; 8:15am. The thought of tasting what is traditionally such a robust style of wine so early in the morning might be off-putting to many people but we were all up for the challenge. Calon-Segur has for a number of years been improving continuously and 2011 is another step forward for this St Estephe estate. Found somewhat in the shadows of Cos d’Estournel and Montrose in the 80’s and 90’s, since 2000 Calon has firmly established itself as a property to watch year in year out. Very fresh and pure with great focus, this 2011 was very warmly received. Their second wine the Marquis de Calon is also one to watch as is the super value Capburn Gasqueton which has followed the delicious 2010 with another strong effort. With lots of ticks in the tasting books we headed half a mile down the road to Chateau Montrose. Tasting at Montrose, like Haut Brion and La Mission, has a feel of returning to the school exam hall, the tastings are conducted fully seated and in virtual silence occasionally broken with a question about the vintage. Glasses poured we were ready to go. Another solid La Dame de Montrose, whose quality like many of the top estates second wine has increased dramatically in recent years, and a superb Grand Vin. Dense brooding nose, wonderful freshness and a super texture with ultrafine tannins, this had power but was also extremely elegant. We were starting to get a picture for the kind of quality that had been produced in this questioned vintage and it was becoming clear that whilst we were not seeing the consistently quality across the levels like we did in 2009 and 2010, at the top end there were, and we were sure we would see some more, some very fine wines.

With Calon Segur and Montrose under our belts we headed further south to complete the trio of St Estephe properties at Chateau Cos d’Estournel. Led into the usual tasting room we were greeted at our tasting bench by a new addition to the line up. As well as Goulee, Pagodes de Cos and Cos d’Estournel, this year we had the pleasure of tasting the Cos d’Estournel Blanc, which Jean-Guillame Prats later conceded was left out of last year’s tasting more in error than by choice. He laughed and said with a wry smile “We thought we could sell this wine without giving people the chance to taste it.” Tasting the Grand Vin was a pleasure again this year. Much more classic than in previous vintages with lovely focus and unctuous texture. Less intense than the Montrose but still extremely accomplished. The debate about which of these three St Estephe’s we enjoyed the most roared on in the short car journey to Chateau Lafite, the only thing we agreed on was that all three had made extremely enjoyable wines.

Into Chateau Lafite we walked; past the colourful Wisteria that coats the Chateau so beautifully. Our first 1st Growth of the season and we were all keen to see what heights had been achieved in this vintage. In front of us, Carruades, Duhart and Lafite, ready and waiting. Both Carruades and Lafite showed beautiful perfume, finery and balance. The Chateau Lafite was glorious, so elegant and masterful with a mineral core coursing through every mouthful. This estate seems to epitomise the concept of restraint in winemaking and once again an extremely classic wine has been produced.
Off to Mouton Rothschild for our second 1st Growth of the campaign. We started with the delicious Petit Mouton and followed with a decent d’Armailhac and an extremely good Clerc Milon. The Mouton was as expected excellent. Super-charged cassis fruit, crisp minerality and totally homogenous. A beautiful wine and arguably the best wine tasted so far.

A quick visit to Grand Puy Lacoste before our tasting and lunch at Chateau Pontet-Canet brought two of the surprises of the vintage so far. In a vintage where the lower end of the spectrum is plagued with inconsistency Xavier Borie has fashioned what will unquestionably become two of the best value wines of the campaign, Lacoste Broie and especially Haut Batailley. We finished with the Grand Puy Lacoste and Xavier Borie has completed his trifecta of vintages with this 2011. Equal to the 2009 and 2010 in quality, it had wonderfully textured fruit, high minerality and lovely precision. This will emerge as one of the must buy wines of the vintage and value for money Grand Puy Lacoste remains one of the hottest estates in the Medoc. Bravo.

Having worked up a serious appetite, we had to wait just a little longer before enjoying our high quality lunch at Pontet Canet. On arrival it became clear that Alfred Tesseron had taken a leaf out of Bruno Borie’s book and hired his own set of Pontet girls to rival those we see every year at Ducru. With our minds focused on the task in hand, we were lead upstairs to the tasting bench for the 2011 Pontet Canet. For an estate that has been on fire since 2000 culminating in their perfect 2009 and stunning 2010 it was hard not to come into this tasting with anything other than high expectations and we were not disappointed in the slightest. Rich and concentrated (two characteristics not commonly associated with 2011), this Pontet had beautiful juicy fruit, silky fine tannins and a long lingering finish. A lovely mix of power and restraint and so incredibly well proportioned. A superb accomplishment, no doubt one of the must have wines of the vintage. With big smiles on our faces we headed back downstairs and over to lunch where we enjoyed a few glasses of the highly scored 2003 Pontet Canet with just about as big a cheese selection as you could imagine. Difficult for us to pull ourselves away from our setting had it not been for our next appointment at Chateau Lynch Bages I’m sure we would have taken full advantage of another plate of cheese.

It always a pleasure to taste at this iconic Pauillac estate and we are always greeted extremely warmly. Taken to our tasting room we were joined by the Technical Director Nicolas Labenne and the estate manager Jean-Charles Cazes. A delicious Echo de Lynch Bages, certainly one of the best we have tasted and a delicious, fresh, aromatic Blanc de Lynch Bages, but the focus as always was firmly on the Lynch Bages. A colossal wine this year, brutal tannins, but beyond that a pretty serious effort indeed. Not quite scaling some of the peaks we had seen earlier in the day but a good wine none the less.

Our fully packed first day of Chateau visits continued with a trio of estates all within a stone’s throw of each other. First up Chateau Pichon Baron de Longueville. This is one of the most beautiful Chateaux in all of Bordeaux, instantly recognisable and complimented perfectly by the Egyptian influenced new winery and chai. A real picture postcard. The full range of wines were on display again this year as the AXA group who own Pichon Baron also manages Petit Village in Pomerol and Suduiraut in Sauternes. Pichon Baron followed in the footsteps of 2010 with another stunning wine in 2011. A bold wine of high class and quality with great poise and presence, this Pichon Baron will surely rank among the very finest wines of 2011.

A quick hop over the road and into the tasting room at Pichon Comtesse de Lalande brought a hugely contrasting style to the Pichon Baron. Pichon Comtesse exudes elegance and a feminine quality like no other wine in this masculine commune. A really super clean, graceful effort but one cannot help but feel that it has fallen short of the magnificent effort from its sister Chateau over the road.

Back into the car we took the short drive to Chateau Latour for our final First Growth of this monumental appellation. We shuffled into the tasting cellar and waited for the three wines to be poured. If the Pauillac de Latour was anything to go by we could tell instantly we would be in for a treat with the Forts de Latour and the Latour. These wines are consistently among the most masculine wines produced in the whole of Bordeaux and the freshness of the 2011 vintage worked very well in unison with this style. This was a fresh, cool wine, with a huge mineral, graphite core. Perfectly precise and vital. Not a big burly Latour of years gone by but rather one with grace and elegance. A beautiful combintation and without question one of the wines of the vintage.

With our Pauillac Chateaux visits at an end for the day we headed south to the Commune of St Julien to our final two tastings of the day at Leoville Las Cases and Leoville Poyferre. Seven wines graced the line up at Leoville Las Case who also manage Chateau Nenin in Pomerol and Chateau Potensac in the Haut Medoc. Lovely showings from both these estates at their levels showed that it was possible to produces elegant charming balanced wine in 2011 at the lower level and both of these will rank among the smarter purchases of the vintage. Onto the headline acts and Clos du Marquis showed its usual consistent self, Petit Lion excelled for its level and seems to be improving year on year since its inception in 2007 but it was the Leoville Las Cases that stopped the show. Elegant and charming yet authoritative at the same time, great balance and poise, this was an extremely accomplished wine and outside of the First Growths almost certainly the finest wine of the vintage….as we have so often come to expect. We left the car in the Leoville Las Cases car park and headed over the road to our last (but by no means least) appointment of the first day. In the last five years or so Leoville Poyferre has been a property on the rise, always capable in years gone by of reaching the very pinnacle of fine wine production by somehow incapable of obtaining the consistency of the finest estates in the region. In recent years it has found that consistency and as such has become one of the most sought after estates not only in St Julien but also in the whole of Bordeaux. The style of the vintage was always going to suit this estate whose hallmarks are grace and elegance. There was wonderful finery to the texture and once again focus and precision, qualities present in abundance in the finer wines of 2011. This was a magical way to end a very fine day tasting and left us all to debate our favourite wines of the day on the journey home.

If there was one thing to take away from today it is that 2011 is a vintage that should be taken very seriously. Yes it lacks the consistency across the levels to rank it alongside the very finest vintages of the last 20 years but at the top of the pile there are some extremely fine wines available characterised by elegance and finesse, charming wines with wonderful texture. One thing is for sure we arrived home very happy indeed with what we had seen today.

First impressions were clear that we had been spoilt in our last 2 years of en-primeur visits to Bordeaux, however whilst no 2009 or 2010 year in terms of quality and style there were more than a handful of Chateaux that had performed admirably in 2011.

The wines in general showed freshness and clarity in an elegant and classic style. Where particular estates excelled, this freshness and elegance were backed up with lovely texture and great harmony. It was clear from the beginning that 2011 is a vintage for greater selection – not a 2009 or 2010 that excelled accross all the levels.

Early favourites that we were keen to taste again later in the week included Croix Mouton (always an over performer at its level), Cantenac Brown, La Confession, Domaine de Chevalier and Cantemerle….and excited by the small selection of dry whites and Sauternes that were available. All in all a pleasent surprise.