A wine with blueberry and mineral character and hints of cedar. Full and silky with a lovely texture of tannins for the vintage. Seamless tannins. jamessuckling.com
James SucklingScore: 91-92/100
The Phelan-Segur has an attractive bouquet with crisp blackberry and floral aromas, pretty in a similar way to Lilian Ladouys. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp chalky tannins. The oak is well integrated with fine acidity, the finish foursquare but long. Classic Phelan Segur. Tasted April 2012. Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com
Neal MartinScore: 90-92/100
Well-extracted, slightly spicy-gamey black fruits and very good smooth ripe tannins. It shows elegance, depth and class. Drink 2014-2025. Decanter.com
DecanterScore: 16.5/20
Ripe, dark and savoury. Lots of oak char on the palate. Dense, firm but there's fruit under there somewhere, just well hidden. Chewy finish with some finishing sweetness. Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MWScore: 16.5/20
Stylish, with perfumy black tea, mulled spice and black cherry notes and racy minerality already showing on the finish. James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com
Wine SpectatorScore: 88-91/100
55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot, which is the same as the plantings found in vineyards, produce the blend. The wine reached 13.5% alcohol. 15% of the vineyards were damaged by the September hail storms. Fortunately for the property, most of the damage occurred to vineyards which were not planted. The worst of the damage was to the Merlot. Yields were down about 10% from the previous vintage. Oak, leaf, pepper, mineral and cassis aromas open to a medium-bodied, round, chocolate- and cassis-filled finish.
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar InsiderScore: 89/100
A floral, plummy nose and attractive cassis. Nice full, juicy palate. clean and fresh and with nice length and round tannin. Simple but good.
FINE+RAREScore: 16/20
Another sleeper of the vintage, this excellent effort from the Gardinier family reveals a dense ruby/purple color along with a sweet perfume of mulberries, black cherries and black currants. An absence of herbaceousness gives the wine an attractive plump, fruit-driven mouthfeel with earth, light tannin and structure. Enjoy this excellent 2011 over the next 7-8 years. Apr 2014, www.robertparker.com
Robert ParkerScore: 88/100
Bordeaux / France