2011 Bonnes Mares

(one-third new oak; 13.7% alcohol; 100% vendange entier): Deep, bright red. Reticent, brooding aromas of black raspberry, chocolate, roasted herbs, licorice and green pepper. Wonderfully silky and full without any undue weight. Dark berry avors are accented by crushed stone, pepper, spices and earth. The tangy, savory aftertaste saturates the palate and leaves the taste buds quivering. Here the stem element gives lift to the wine without overwhelming it. Conveys a very powerful impression of terroir.

14-18 months in oak, about 50-70% new. Mid crimson. Rich and sweetly spiced on the nose. Rich in relative terms. Both red and black fruit. Succulent, delicate and with a scented aftertaste. Overall lightly built. (JH)

Here the wood treatment is much more discreet with spicy, pure and elegant cool red berry fruit aromas that display hints of spice, dried flowers and wet stone. There is excellent mid-palate concentration to the overtly muscular and powerful broad-scaled flavors that enjoy superb length. If there is a nit, this is not as complex as the best in the range but my score assumes that greater depth will develop in time as the underlying material is certainly present to allow for it. Tasted: Apr 15, 2013. Drink: 2026+