Chateau Saint-Pierre 2011

Offers 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.

Real depth of fruit, well-judged in terms of extraction. There is the black pepper spice of the vintage showing natural concentration but also a sense of dark 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 from September 15 to 29. 60% new oak. A yield of 42 hl/ha.

The 2011 Saint-Pierre is well-defined on the nose, quite open, with veins of blue fruit and a more floral, Margaux-like personality. It seems to gain complexity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with blackcurrant and bilberry on the entry. The oak comes on a bit “thick” here and governs the finish more than the terroir. Maybe continued bottle age will see this subsumed. It’s an enjoyable Saint-Julien, but it feels a little stilted at the moment. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.

The nose pops with licorice, smoke, black licorice, coffee bean and mocha. Soft, round, forward and very nice for this difficult vintage, the wine ends with dark, fresh black cherries.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle ochre rim. A hint of menthol, nougat, after-eight bouquet, soft notes of bourbon vanilla. Complex, black berry fruit, a hint of cloves, integrated tannins, lemony-mineral finish, good ageing potential.

Restrained bouquet with red-berry contours, sandalwood and a delicate menthol note, with Brazilian tobacco and dark chocolate shavings in the background. On the mid-palate, a creamy texture with a supportive tannic frame, becoming finely austere with a sinewy body. The finish shows small red berries, juniper and walnut shell. Rounded off.

Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Brilliant bouquet, dark noble woods, tobacco, licorice, black peppercorns and plenty of cassis. Firm palate with balanced astringency, once again showcasing those superb, intense aromas of blueberry-like fruit and fine Cabernet spice. Once again this year, it outperforms significantly more expensive wines. Buy it!

Deep, powerful bouquet, blue and black berries, tobacco, grains, cedar, mocha. Elegant, classic, powerful palate with dense structure, good fruit, plenty of fine tannins, dark aromatics, long, spicy finish. 18/20 2020 - 2035

Young, concentrated, intense, one of the more succulent 2011s that I have tasted recently. Tobacco and cedar aromatics punch straight through the black fruits, with fine but firm tannins; it’s well constructed and gently unveils its mix of fruit, smoke and freshness. Excellent quality; you can start drinking this now, but the tannins are still chewy on the tongue, and it’s only at the beginning of its drinking window. 60% new oak, 42 l/ha yield, Eric Boissenot consultant.

Medium to deep garnet in color, the 2011 Saint-Pierre sashays out with floral notions of dried roses and violets over a core of stewed plums and blackberry pie, plus a touch of unsmoked cigars. The medium-bodied palate is ready to drink, with expressive black fruit preserves and savory layers supported by chewy tannins, finishing with a compelling lift.

Smoky, almost tarry notes (creosote) on the nose; the palate finishes more elegantly than the nose suggests, long, and almost at its peak.

Made with 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is dense, tannic, very elegant, with good length—admittedly not very full-bodied, but dense and concentrated, with great purity. A great success in 2011.

Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Intense, refined, and creamy nose. Notes of citrus, dark fruits, and tar. Lively attack on the palate, and the wine develops with very fruity character, on a supple, melting body, with flavor and fine tannins. Sappy and pleasant finish of normal length, with a mentholated aftertaste.

There is probably too much wood here, both on the smell and the palate. It gives the wine weight, but takes away the fruit. Powerful and dense, it needs a long aging. Drink from 2017.