2011 Wine

The 2011 vintage: freshness and careful selection after the great years of 2009 and 2010

Flanked by two monumental vintages, 2011 took a different path: one of balance and finesse. A very warm start to the season, followed by a cool, wet summer, brought forward the harvest to one of the earliest in recent history and produced wines that are lower in alcohol, more focused and more classic in style. For buyers, the priorities are clear: look first to the sweet wines and great dry whites, choose reds by region and estate, and enjoy wines that are often ready to drink.

Bordeaux 2011 — Sweet wines and whites lead the way, with reds to choose carefully

In Bordeaux, 2011 will be remembered as a year of careful selection. One of the warmest springs in six decades got the growing season off to a very early start, before a cool, wet summer called for vigilance and rigorous sorting. According to The Wine Cellar Insider, the vintage is good rather than great, best enjoyed over the medium term rather than cellared for decades. Moderate in alcohol, the reds favour freshness and a sense of terroir. The hierarchy is clear: the right bank, including Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, and the Graves wines of Pessac-Léognan produced the most accomplished reds, while the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac were a great success, helped by ideal autumn botrytis — the ‘noble rot’.

The dry whites of Pessac-Léognan continue an outstanding run, combining richness with tension; Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a reliable benchmark. On the right bank, the Pomerol appellation produced some of the year’s most complete reds, with ripe tannins and pure fruit. Among the sweet wines, Sauternes and Barsac dominate the vintage: Château Coutet, in Barsac, exemplifies the combination of aromatic brilliance and fresh sweetness that makes the great age-worthy wines of the Sauternes region.

Ageing potential: reds to enjoy now and over the next ten to fifteen years; dry whites at their peak and collectible sweet wines for very long ageing — check fill level and provenance before buying.

Burgundy 2011 — An early, charming vintage to enjoy sooner rather than later

Burgundy saw one of its earliest harvests in 2011, with grapes picked as early as August in some areas. Decanter describes an appealing vintage that is already approachable: lively, charming reds with vibrant fruit but a lighter body, and pure, aromatic, precise whites. It is a winemaker’s year, when harvest dates and sorting made the difference between fine wines and more diluted ones. For buyers, the message is simple: enjoy 2011 for its immediate elegance, without the patience required by great vintages built for ageing.

The reds of the Côte de Nuits offer the finest expression of this light, graceful style, as seen in the wines of Domaine Georges Roumier in Chambolle-Musigny. At the top of the hierarchy, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti produced wines of remarkable finesse from its grands crus, true to their terroir. Among the whites, Chablis and the Côte de Beaune yielded the year’s most taut and easy-drinking bottles.

Ageing potential: a year best enjoyed relatively young — the reds are already approachable, while the whites are best enjoyed for their freshness; keep the grands crus for patient wine lovers and check provenance.

Rhône Valley 2011 — Finesse in the north, fine estates in the south

In the Rhône Valley, 2011 favoured the north above all. According to Decanter, northern Syrah reached a very high level of finesse, in a fresh, fragrant style reminiscent of 2007, producing elegant rather than powerful wines. The south was more uneven: Châteauneuf-du-Pape and its neighbours did not match the brilliance of 2010, but the best estates made flavourful reds and particularly successful whites. Once again, the producer’s name matters as much as the appellation.

In the north, Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie show the purity of the year’s Syrah, as the wines from M. Chapoutier demonstrate. In the south, the leading estates rose above the challenges of the vintage: in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a legendary estate such as Château Rayas has made a fresh, delicately textured wine that transcends the character of the year.

Ageing potential: northern Syrahs can age for ten to fifteen years, Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines from the best estates a little less; an ideal year to enjoy Syrah while it is young and fragrant.

Languedoc-Roussillon 2011 — Characterful Mediterranean reds from leading estates

Languedoc-Roussillon forms the southern heart of the 2011 selection. Far from the weather setbacks that complicated matters in northern France, its Mediterranean climate brought welcome consistency: here, the quality of a vintage depends above all on the terroir and the winemaker’s skill. The region’s leading estates made structured, spicy reds in 2011, with fine-grained tannins and the ability to age without ever losing their sun-ripened fruit. It is an ideal introduction to highly expressive wines, often more accessible than their Bordeaux or Burgundy counterparts.

On the Terrasses du Larzac, Mas Jullien makes deep, distinctive reds that rank among the appellation’s benchmarks. In Pézenas, Domaine les Aurelles cultivates a dense, mellow style, made for the table and the cellar. Pic Saint-Loup, Roussillon and the hillsides of the Gard complete the picture with characterful wines, from Clos Marie and Roc d’Anglade to Clos des Fées.

Ageing potential: reds ready to drink now that can still improve over five to ten years; a reliable choice for a great southern wine to open without waiting for a distant occasion.

Loire 2011 — Cabernet Franc and Chenin in a fresh style

The Loire benefited from fine late-season weather and an early harvest in 2011, both conducive to freshness. Cabernet Franc wines from Anjou-Saumur offer fragrant reds with supple tannins and an easy-drinking style that is part of the region’s charm; the Chenins combine ripeness with acidity. This is a region where elegance takes precedence over power, perfectly in keeping with the spirit of the vintage.

In Saumur-Champigny, a legendary estate such as Clos Rougeard takes Cabernet Franc to exceptional heights of finesse and purity, producing wines that combine immediate freshness with genuine ageing potential. Elsewhere, the Loire Valley’s best winemakers pursue the same balance in terroir-driven wines made for the table.

Ageing potential: reds to enjoy now, or over the next ten years for the more serious wines; a reliable choice for a rewarding tasting without a long wait.

Buy a wine from the 2011 vintage at SoDivin

2011 is a vintage for lovers of finesse: a classic, fresh year, led by its sweet wines and great dry whites, with elegant, already approachable reds to choose by region and estate. It is also an excellent introduction to some of the greatest names, in a refined style and at maturity. To see how 2011 compares with other years and refine your choice, SoDivin’s Vintage Guide brings together our ratings region by region and helps you find the ideal bottle.