Crus Bourgeois 2011

A review of six 2011 Crus Bourgeois Bordeaux

Crus Bourgeois are the affordable middle rung of Bordeaux wines - the solid middle ground of good, well-balanced and well-textured claret from the Medoc.

With prices for classed growths often commanding silly money, these are affordable-yet-serious wines for the classic enthusiast.

These wines from 2011 all show a well-balanced freshness with good structure. The best add to this a Nigella-esque plumply curvaceous flirtatiousness with a focused assertivess.

2011 was not an easy year in Bordeaux - cool and wet with hail is no-one's idea of a good vintage, but as the wines below demonstrate, it was by no means a complete wash-out. Cooler temperatures bring a refreshing and assertive focus to the best wines.

Chateau Dillon, Haut-Medoc (N/A) translucent purple, complex nose of bramble fruit, coffee, cigar box and oaky spices; sweet vanilla, cool mint and fresh acidity. Soft, Merlot-based texture with a grippy firmness on the finish.

Chateau Le Pey, Medoc (£12, www.loveyourwine.co.uk) bright translucent purple, plummy tobacco, fresh bramble fruit, good acidity, good grip and firmness; some grippy tannins on the finish.

Chateau Croix du Trale, Haut-Medoc (N/A) bright purple; vanilla, cassis, red fruits and cigar box; sweet ripe fruit, cool mintiness, pencil shavings, fresh acidity, good structure and finish. Good density and concentration. Good.

Chateau Lacour Jacquet, Haut-Medoc (N/A) Dark translucent purple, complex nose of bramble fruits, oakiness and undergrowth; sweet vanilla and cool mint, bramble fruit and savouriness. Balanced, harmonious and long. Perfectly ripe tannins on the finish. Plump yet well-structured and as firmly assertive as a Swedish massueuse. Very Good.

Chateau Les Anguilleys, Medoc (N/A) translucent purple, bramble fruit and oak; ripe fruit, cool mintiness and grippy tannins - persistent finish.

Chateau Doyac, Haut-Medoc (£12, Fine and Rare, Paris Bronze) translucent purple, bramble fruit and cigar box, ripe fruit, capsicum and sweet vanilla. Fresh acidity, good texture and persistent finish.

Wines provided for review.

Other related articles
Crus Bourgeois 2010 At The Cambridge Tasting‏
Crus Bourgeois 2011‏
Crus Bourgeois at the International Wine Challenge 30th Anniversary Ball

Links
Crus Bourgeois - website, twitter