2011 Clos de Sarpe
Buying options
Tasting notes
Smoke, black raspberry and stone notes lead to a powerful, dense, tannic, stone-filled, severe wine that will take a long, long time to soften. Jeff Leve, TheWineCellarInsider.com
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
This has lots of interesting ripe fruit and spice character. Full body, with firm tannins and a juicy finish. Very attractive. James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
Another astonishing effort from proprietor Beyney, this blockbuster 2011 may be the most concentrated and intense wine of the vintage. Unlike previous vintages that were characterized by sky-high levels of tannin, the tannins in this Clos de Sarpe are very silky and soft, letting the fruit show through rather dramatically. The color is an opaque purple and the wine is loaded with beautiful black fruits, minerals and spices. It pushes richness and ripeness to the limit, but pulls back before it veers over to the Amarone style favored in parts of Italy. This glorious, full-bodied St.-Emilion is one of the superstars of the vintage. Sadly, production is microscopic. It should drink well for 15-20+ years. Wine Advocate.April, 2014
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2011 Clos de Sarpe gives up notions of roasted coffee beans, smoked meats and chocolate-covered cherries over a core of blackberry tart and preserved plums with wafts of garrigue and dried herbs. Full-bodied, concentrated and packed with savory layers, it has a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing long and spicy. May 2018, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
This small Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé estate is a FINE+RARE favourite. Run by Maylis Marcenat, the fourth generation of her family to do so, the 3.7-hectare vineyard has old vines and limestone soils, producing wines of incredible freshness and great ageability.