2011 Afternoon tasting

We were tasting the batches of 2011 this afternoon with our consultant oenologist from Hubert de Bouard’s team.
It was the first general review after malolactic fermentation and I felt the same sensations as when we were tasting the grapes from the vines in August and September. I said and wrote at the time that because the grape pips were so ripe so early as a result of the very dry conditions, there was no astringency and the tannins were soft without being dominant. I said I expected a 2011 vintage with soft tannins.
This is exactly what I tasted today.
The tannins are soft and clear-cut, the body is very well endowed and there is still fresh, ripe fruit on the palate. This is not a muscle-bound vintage, but one that is sensual and soft with clear-cut aromas and tannins. It is beautifully elegant and smooth, and glides across the palate very comfortably, which makes it so attractive.
This will be an easy vintage to approach that is accommodating and sociable, enjoyable early, but also worth laying down for quite a while, because it has the acidity to age well.
In fact 2009, 2010 and 2011 make a fine trilogy!

VINTAGE FACT SHEET 2011

Often the climate excesses give the specifities of the vintage. What where they in 2011?

The grapes are starting to colour up

The collection point of all the drains in the various plots of my vineyard has been dry for some weeks now, since the beginning of July during my summer break. I didn’t note down the date at which it dried up in 2009, but it was in mid-August! The vines’ growth cycle is also well ahead of itself, so the fact that my pipe has dried up and the grapes have begun to change colour is logical, because at this time of year the vines need to stop growing and switch to ripening their fruit.
For that to happen, the vines need to undergo hydric stress.
What’s special about this vintage is that has already dramatically lacked water and undergone very high temperatures at the end of June, when the grapes started showing signs of being burnt. At the mid-way point in the grapes’ colour change, we are already extremely tight in terms of water.
Fortunately over the last few days, the Bordeaux area has been subject to irregular, serial rainy spells in which very varied quantities of water have fallen from place to place. For example my work colleague, who lives near La Réole on the banks of the Garonne River and whose family owns a vineyard, recorded practically 30 mm (1.2 inches) of rainfall over the last 24 hours, while at Laroze in the middle of Saint-Emilion I only saw 1 mm! I ate my heart out! The rain hasn’t finished yet: we’ve had 20 mm (3/4 inch) since the beginning of July. The temperatures are cooler, the vines can breathe again and the humid air and windy weather is good for the colour change, when the grapes turn from green to red, then dark blue. 20% of the Merlot grapes have already changed colour.
Of course, the vines absorb water through their leaves and even if the ground still remains dry deep down, the humidity in the air and the showers are enough to supply them with what they need for now.
Again, none of all this tells us anything about the quality of the vintage. I personally hope we get a lousy, rainy July, which isn’t too hot, with fine weather at the end of the summer for ripening and the harvest, but I’m not sure the weather forecaster cares about what I wish …

The water reserves in the soils

This morning the collection point, which is fed by the water from all the vineyard drains was flowing with the volume of a 20 mm pipe, whereas at the same period last year, I noted a flow equivalent to a 60 mm pipe. Last year, the flow went down to 20 mm around 25 July, which means that we are a full month’s useful water reserves short in 2011!
The frequency and volume of the rainfall in July and August will be decisive for what follows. Today the vines look well, everything appears to be normal, even if it is very early. We only observe slower growth and a slightly lighter green in the leaves than usual.

A few showers

10 June 2011: Thirty millimetres of rain fell this week between the 5th and 10th of June. This constitutes a good watering mid-term that gives the vine some respite, enabling it to continue to develop comfortably.

The Mildiou

8 June 2011: The first cases of the most important disease to affect vines in the Bordeaux area – downy mildew – only appeared on the 7th of June with the much-awaited refreshing rainfall.
This disease is basically linked to warm temperatures and humidity. The major drought conditions at the beginning of this year only delayed its appearance. As a result, we have not had to spray the vines as much, which of course is a good thing.

See the Spring Newsletter

Informations about the climate in 2011, how the flowering was going, the general evolutions about Laroze. Go to the letter.

Gault et Millau 17,5/20

Very subtle, floral with gorgeously elegant structure. The sheer delight of fresh, tender fruit with hints of benzoin. (Pierre Guigui)

B.BURTSCHY 93/100 16/20

Dark colour. Intense nose, elegant. All in elegance and length on the palate, straight, superb very pure finish.

DECANTER 16,5/20

More structured than the '09 but without exaggeration. The tender side of Laroze still shows. Lovely fruit expression. Good length. Harmonious. Drink 2016-2025.

Bettane-Desseauve 16-17

A pretty wine, superbly balanced with nothing heavy about it. Lovely rich fruit, smooth, more-ish, elegant length.

Revue des Vins de France 15.5-16.5

Clear progress in the quality of the tannins. They are often a little harsh on the palate, but they are smooth and mellow, which makes this year’s wine very attractive. They are also particularly ripe. With its explosive fruit aromas this wine has gained enormously in roundness. Philippe Maurange.

René Gabriel

Château Laroze : 17
Lafleur Laroze : 16

Niel Martin 86-89

This is certainly displaying some sur-maturite on the nose with touches of fresh prune and fig. The palate is full-bodied with chewy tannins, moderate acidity, attractive purity and showing more refinement and composure towards the sinewy finish. Tasted March 2011.

Jancis Robinson 16/20

Lively and round and very sweet.

JM.QUARIN 16,50-16,75/20

My best score given to this estate’s wines “en primeur”.
This is the most subtle Laroze I know.
Dark, intense, beautiful robe. Elegant, fruity, ripe, smooth, subtle bouquet. Smooth attack, mellow as it develops, very hedonistic, the wine fills out to become rich and airy. Packed with aromas, its finish is long, complex and elegant. Delicious and more epicurean than ever. A great success.

Wine Spectator. James Mollesworth: 89-92

Shows more toasty spice and vanilla aromas, with the core of plum and blackberry fruit staying in reserve for now. Yet there’s solid length, with good grip on the finish. (ndlr: tasted in the US)

James Suckling 91-92

He tasted and published his commentaries far before others and made many jalous...

Roses and berries, with hints of milk chocolate. Full and velvety.

Press Review on Laroze 2010

It is the beginning of the tastings of the vintage 2010 for the professionnals and journalists.
Their commentaries will regularly be published here and will also be accessible on a sheet "press review" on the web site of Laroze.

The last grapes:

In fact we did not start harvesting the Cabernet Franc again until 20th October, finishing them the following day including the Cabernet Sauvignon.
On the 22nd, we organised our end-of-the-harvest “Gerbaude” celebration with the 58 people, who took part over a lunch-time buffet. It was a relief and great satisfaction to have been able to wait for the grapes to ripen properly while being able to already taste some wines in the making in the tanks with the characteristic tenderness of the ripe tannins just as we like them to be.
We have a great vintage in our hands with outstanding colour, good acid levels and tannins just at the right point of ripeness. It’s up to us now to craft a truly great wine!