Vinous - Neal Martin (92)

The 2011 Chapelle d’Ausone has a well-defined, quite focused bouquet with high-toned but precise red berry fruit, crushed stone and rose petal aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, lifted red berry fruit laced with truffle, black pepper and a touch of clove. Lovely cohesion on the finish, this is an excellent 2011 that is ageing with style. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.

Wine Advocate (100)

Even better and a prodigious effort that hits all my sweet spots, the 2011 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from one of the top terroirs on Hermitage hill, the granite soils of the Les Bessards lieu-dit. Spectacularly perfumed, with raspberry, blackberry, licorice, toasted spices and assorted floral nuances, this full-bodied effort has massive depth and richness, no hard edges and masses of finely polished tannin that emerge on and frame the finish. It will be approachable at an earlier age than either the 2009 or 2010, yet should nevertheless have 2-3 decades of ultimate longevity.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

This is a fabulous gran reserva from a very good but lightly heralded vintage. Aromas of spiced plum, black olive, fig, tobacco and cassis come together like a puzzle. A deep, pure palate shows near-perfect balance, while this tastes of plum, berry fruits and earthy spice. Smooth, elegant and chocolaty on the finish, this delivers all one can ask for from Rioja. Drink through 2035.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2011 Reserva is produced from their cooler vineyards grown at altitudes of 800-900 meters, from an assortment of small plots planted before the 1930s. The Tempranillo is mixed with other grapes totaling almost 10% in this vintage, half of it white Albillo and a significant amount of Bobal among others. They selected the grapes from the plots they thought would provide more freshness, especially in a warm year like 2011. The full-clusters fermented in open stainless steel pools where they are foot-trodden. The wine is transferred to barriques and put in the cold cellars where they age slowly and go through malolactic the following spring. This is a serious wine where the aromas are subtle and more soil-driven and austere, slowly revealing notes of violets and damson cherries with great depth. The palate is medium-bodied, with refined, silky and fine-grained tannins and a superb sensation of harmony. This is really outstanding for a year such as 2011. The 4,000 bottles produced were filled in May 2014. Drink 2015-2020.

Vinous (93)

The 2011 Barolo Ravera emerges from the oldest vines on the property. Dark cherry, plum, spice, new leather and lavender swirl around the glass in a resonant, generous Barolo that captures the generosity of the year as seen through the lens of Ravera. In this vintage, the Ravera is an especially weightless and simply impeccable in its overall balance. Hints of leather, sweet spices add nuance on the soft yet energetic finish. There is so much to like here.

Dive into the world of elegance with the spellbinding Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 2011. Crafted meticulously in Burgundy, France, it's the epitome of the world-renowned Harmand-Geoffroy estate's wine-making mastery. A benchmark for Pinot Noir, the grapes went through meticulous manual sorting, followed by precise temperature-controlled fermentation. The wine matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, achieving a captivating equilibrium between fruit and firmness.

Gloriously mature, the 'Mazis-Chambertin' shows off an enthralling perfume of red berries mingled with subtle notes of earth and mushroom. The palate is complex and juicy, beautifully showcasing the soft tannins and a long, balanced finish. This wine signifies the essence of Gevrey-Chambertin, recognised for its power and longevity.

With only a limited production, the rarity of Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 2011 is alluring. A choice recommendation for those seeking a distinguished addition to their cellar.

Decanter (97)

The crown in the Hugel jewels, Schoelhammer comes from 30 rows in the core of Grand Cru Shoenenbourg, high above Riquewihr. An intense, dry and mineral-charged Riesling with floral aromas and concentrated lime/lemon zest flavours. Fermented in neutral oak, this retains absolute purity and clarity of flavour. Bottled in Spring 2012, this vintage was first released in 2018. Still very youthful and with decades ahead.

Wine Advocate (97)

I'm increasingly convinced that Pierre Larmandier produced Champagne's wines of the vintage this year, and the 2011 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant only compounds that suspicion. Unfurling in the glass with a deep and complex nose of citrus zest, crisp yellow apples, smoke, warm bread, mandarin oil and oyster shell, it's full-bodied and fleshy but incisive, with huge concentration, bright acids and a long, intensely saline finish. Totally transcending the reputation of 2011, it has many of the textural properties of a great white Burgundy, married with the cut and chalky grip of Champagne's Côte de Blancs.

Wine Spectator (92)

Rich and rangy, with cherry and spice flavors filling the broad profile. Ample acidity and tannins shore this up, leading to a slightly compact finish. Fine length.

Halliday Wine Companion (94)

True to this cool season, a pretty and elegant Magill Estate of lively acidity, tangy berry fruits and savoury accents. It soaks up 100% new oak effortlessly (65/35% French/American), making space for flavours of licorice, black olives, pepper and exotic spice. No great Magill, but certainly an engaging and commendable result.

Vinous (93-96)

Good bright, deep red. Aromas of black raspberry, rose petal and menthol show an almost liqueur-like ripeness. Then wonderfully sappy and vinous in the mouth, with a powerful crushed stone element giving punch to the creamy mid-palate. This is in the style of Potel's Lavaux Saint-Jaques, offering outstanding precision and class and a powerful impression of energy. Can't quite match the Chambertin for sheer grip but this wine is like a wake-up call to the taste buds. (The Griottes-Chambertin, which finished its malo later, was quite youthfully clenched and oaky, and impossible to assess with confidence.)

The Eleven Confessions vineyard is a 33-acre plot located in the Santa Rita Hills AVA, which is widely known to be a cool climate region. True to their spirit of being non-conformists, the Krankls chose to focus primarily on Rhône varietals, dedicating 22 aces to Syrah, Grenache and some Rhône whites - while leaving the remaining 11 acres to Pinot Noir planted by the former ranch owner. The cool climate allows a longer hang-time for the grapes to develop full phenolic ripeness. Also, the Krankls kept yields very low, resulting in the phenomenal concentration that their wines are well-known for.

 

Made of a blend of approximately 97% Syrah with Roussane and Viognier completing the blend, the 2011 Syrah Patine earned a massive 98 points from Jeb Dunnuck and 96 pointsfrom Antonio Galloni, delivering “Guigal La Landonne like aromas and flavors of graphite, sweet oak, smoked meats, pepper and black raspberry and cassis-like fruit " (Dunnuck). Galloni finds “mocha, plums, violets, bittersweet chocolate and dark spice” from this “deep, powerful and intense” wine that he thinks will drink well out to 2035.

Wine Advocate (96)

One of the stars of the vintage, the 2011 Vieux Château Certan was brilliant from barrel (I vividly remember tasting it as a student), and it is beginning to show all of that potential in bottle. Wafting from the glass with inviting aromas of mulberries, cherries, vine smoke, bitter chocolate, violets and spices, framed by a deft application of classy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, with terrific concentration, powdery tannins and a long, sapid finish. Even better, this terrific wine remains notably undervalued in the market today.