2011 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Réserve

In Bruno Gaspard's opinion, "2011 could turn out a lot like 2009 because the ripeness is similar and so are the tannins."He pointed out that all of the 2011s here were bottled at between 16.5% and 17.2% alcohol, "so calling them anything but rich is impossible."While there are definitely plenty of shrill and/or hard-edged wines to be found from 2011, "if you waited for the tannins to soften you didn't have that problem and you also got higher sugars, so it's a question of who was patient and who wasn't."Like a number of his neighbors, Gaspard likens 2012 to 2010 "but with less serious structure, so they'll definitely be for drinking before the 2010s and maybe about the same time as the 2009s."While the wines here have a solid track record for aging, Gaspard prefers to err on the younger side for a drinking plan, citing his own love for wines "where the fruit is still intense and fresh."

It's a mistake to generalize 2011 as a weak vintage, winemaker Bruno Gaspard told me, pointing out that all of the grenache from the Clos du Caillou vineyards finished at over 16% alcohol.The key to getting that level of ripeness "was not to panic and harvest too early.The fruit wasn't completely ripe at the beginning of September but it took off after that and kept gaining sugar for almost eight weeks."Growers who harvested too early missed the benefit of the Indian summer and "it's those wines that give the vintage its reputation for lightness," Gaspard said.Yields were fairly normal here in 2011 at just under 30 hl/ha "so the wines aren't heavy at all, in spite of the high alcohol." (North Berkeley Imports, www.northberkeleyimports.com; Domaine Select Wine Estates, www.domaineselect.com)