Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal · Pauillac · 2011
2011 Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac, France
A place on your wine list
Fifth Growth Pauillac next to Latour's Enclos. Claire Villars-Lurton. James Suckling 93. The 2011 is open now.
Winery SRP $80 per bottle
Trade offer. One-case minimum. Orders are subject to account review.
Why this bottle belongs on the list
Two selling points.
Then the market.
Claire Villars-Lurton. RVF vigneronne of the year 2024.
She took Haut-Bages Liberal and Ferriere after her parents died, trained as an oenologist, and converted the property to biodynamics. Consulting oenologist is Eric Boissenot. The credential guests have heard: Fifth Growth Pauillac, vines next to Latour.
Bages plateau. Gravel over clay-limestone.
Two plots: one bordering Latour's Enclos, the other on Bages behind Pichon Baron. Quaternary gravel three meters deep, more clay in the subsoil. 75 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 percent Merlot. 16 to 18 months, 40 percent new French oak.
Professional scores
James Suckling 93 on this vintage.
Named critic scores on this vintage. These are press ratings, not the Wine-Searcher aggregate.
The buyer's perspective
What the guest
hears first.
The vintage you open while you wait on 2009 and 2010. Staff can sell it in one sentence: Fifth Growth Pauillac, Claire Villars-Lurton, open now, pour it with petite filet.
Proprietor's corner
Haut-Bages Liberal · Ferriere · RVF Vigneronne de l'annee 2024
Claire
Villars-Lurton
Claire was a physics doctoral student in Paris. After the accidental death of her parents in 1992 she came home, trained as an oenologist, and in 2000 took Haut-Bages Liberal, Ferriere, and La Gurgue. She is the third generation of the Merlaut family on these properties.
She began biodynamic conversion in the 2000s, against neighbors who called the cover crops unkempt. Haut-Bages Liberal was certified organic in 2019 and Demeter in 2021. La Revue du Vin de France named her vigneronne of the year in 2024.
Eric Boissenot consults. The 2011 is 75 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 25 percent Merlot. James Suckling 93: beauty and succulence, clarity and finesse, better in 2017. It is 2026. The wine is open.
The chateau
Next to Latour.
On the Bages plateau.
Haut-Bages Liberal is a Fifth Growth Pauillac. The name is the place: haut, the Bages plateau, and the Liberal family who owned it in the eighteenth century. Classified in 1855.
About 30 hectares. Half the vineyard is next to Chateau Latour. The other half sits on Bages, behind Pichon Baron. Gravel over clay and limestone. Cabernet Sauvignon is the spine.
Claire converted the farming. The 2011 is the bottle on this page, 14.2 percent alcohol, ready to pour. Catalog thumb is the bottle Joel locked for this vintage, not a 2010 stand-in.
2011 in the glass
Blackberry.
Tobacco.
Pencil shavings.
Jumps out of the glass with blackberry liqueur, rolled tobacco, and a touch of allspice. Palate is round, elegant, poised, softer black and red fruits. Quintessential Pauillac finish: graphite, pencil shavings, dusty cocoa. Silky, open, ready. James Suckling 93. Falstaff 91. Serve near 62 F. A short decant.
Menu and service
Built for a serious table.
- Petite filet with herb butter
- Mushroom risotto with thyme
- A weekday Pauillac that does not need a 2009 speech
Serve near 62 F in a Bordeaux glass. A short decant. This 2011 is open. Do not treat it like a closed young Pauillac.
Staff pairing clip
Gordon Ramsay cooks his favourite steak, The F Word
The tableside introduction
“This is Fifth Growth Pauillac, Claire Villars-Lurton, vines next to Latour. James Suckling 93 on the 2011. Blackberry, tobacco, pencil shavings. Open now. Pour it with petite filet.”
Ready for your team
Put the story to work.
Shelf talker
A concise bottle story for guest-facing displays. No trade price.
Download PDFServer card
The pitch, menu matches, and service notes in a compact format.
Download PDFFull trade sheet
Person, site, tasting, market context, and the case offer.
Download PDFOrder the case
Put 2011 Haut-Bages Liberal on the list.
Fifth Growth Pauillac, drinking now. James Suckling 93. Trade $48 a bottle, $288 the six-bottle case, one-case minimum.
Trade offer. One-case minimum. Orders are subject to account review.
