Lafite Rothschild’s 2016 tranches

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-05-23


Early afternoon 22nd May word spread that Lafite was out. A few calls were made. But where was the wine? Allocations were down 50% but with the promise of another allocation in a week’s time at a premium of between 30%-40%. No prices, no offers.

Then, more than one of the smaller négociants decided to pull the trigger on releasing the première tranche, but estimating the cost of the second tranche and pricing at the intersect of the two. Perhaps guessing they were unlikely to get any more and taking attractive profits on the first tranche.

In UK terms the averaged, intersect price is £480 a bottle, which puts the first release at around £384 a bottle whilst the second release could be in the range £540-£575.

That compares to the 2015 release price of £358 per bottle, which in turn leads us to the conclusion that in euro terms the first tranche release price is likely to have been more or less flat year on year. But of course, we can’t be sure.

The rest of the supply chain is sitting tight. The majority of Lafite offers won’t now reach your inbox for another week. The channels of distribution are showing admirable sense and fair play in averaging the two release prices and treating their customers with the egalité most deserve.

So how about the wine? Lafite 2016 is glorious: one of a handful of wines that stand imperiously; pinnacles in this truly great left bank vintage. Is it worth £480 a bottle? A difficult question to answer, but surprisingly, it does look like acceptable value in the context of current market prices of prior excellent or great vintages.

Below is our relative value analysis. Based on our estimations of what’s likely to happen in the next week, 2016 is showing a small advantage over prior vintages. If you consider that 2009 and 2010 are well off their lows, and that the absolute low of Lafite 2010 was £446 a bottle, it indicates that 2016 has very limited downside, and might well run up to around £600 a bottle over the next 3 years.

Once selling commission of 5% inclusive is taken into account and an adjustment for storage fees, your net proceeds would be £567, or a return of £87 a bottle: a return or discount to future market value (depending on your perspective) of 15%. Based on the above illustration an en primeur purchaser will be therefore looking at growth averaging 5% per annum.

It’s tight. There’ll be buyers. Notwithstanding, if the averaged price per bottle shakes out around £450-£460 many more collectors would swing behind it.




Chateau Pape Clément 2016 – for whom the frosts toll

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-05-15


The release of 2016 of £775 (12x75cl) is a substantial jump up on the simply marvellous 2015. The previous (in our view better) vintage released at £615 (12x75cl).

So we are looking at a 21% increase YoY. Meanwhile the gap between the two vintages has since closed, with the best offer price of Pape Clément 2015 now trading at £720 (12x75cl).

Not only was 2015 a sound buy for those who jumped in this time last year, it remains an attractive hold, since the release price of 2016 and a rumoured reduction in release quantities attributed to the April 2017 frosts, will lend its price support and push it up to £800+ (2x75cl).





For whom do the frosts toll? Us, the consumer, wine lover, collector…those who buy. The reduction in production volumes now likely for 2017 are difficult for producers, especially in those areas most severely affected, parts of Pessac included. By far the worst affected were those in the lesser appellations on the right bank, St Emilion and Pomerol off the plateaux, and inland in the Medoc. For many of those producers the frosts really were a catastrophe.

As we described here the great estates alongside the Gironde were the least touched by the frost due to the warming effects of the river; those parts of their vineyards affected were on the whole those producing grapes destined for their second wines.

We need to bear in mind too that 2016 production volumes are up 10%-20%, in many instances offsetting the potential losses (subject to a faint possibility of second budding) relating to 2017.

So as consumers, we should sympathise and feel bad for estates such as Pape Clément for their loss of production. We should feel even sadder for producers’ losses in places like Fronsac, Lalande de Pomerol and Castillon, where there will be economic casualties. But it doesn’t mean we will consequently want to buy much more expensive wine.


Bordeaux 2016 or 2015?

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-05-11


The tasting event in Westminster for the trade in early May provided an opportunity to re-taste a number of 2016 Bordeaux comparatively with their 2015 and 2014 equivalents. 

The conclusions reinforce to a large extent the general impressions we formed in Bordeaux at the start of April, but the comparison also showed it’s not one size fits all.

Canon

Starting with the one wine tasted from the right bank, Canon 2016 is showing more aromatics than 2015, very silky, integrated tannins and is thicker-styled, with riper fruit. Canon 2015 showed greater intensity, with a stunningly pure mid-palate of ripe, sticky fruit, and a prolonged finish.  Canon 2014 is more classically styled, with a cedar nose and liqueur-like mouth feel, this is lovely now and looks like much earlier drinking.  

No doubt there are glorious wines from the Libournais in 2016, but both St Emillion and Pomerol do not conform to a vintage stereotype in these two vintages, and you will have preferences for individual wines from one or other year.

Smith Haut Lafitte

Jumping down to Pessac-Léognan, Smith Haut Lafitte (SML) 2016 is firm and properly dry, with crystalline fruit. Very intense and just on the right side of focus, with a very grippy, licorice finish. SML 2015 has a very energetic attack, sweet, refined tannins, a warm, fruity mid-palate and an aromatically spiced finish. SML 2014 was delicious but not in the same league as the other two vintages.

2015 was a stellar vintage in Pessac and Graves across the board. The same is not true of 2016 but SML showed (along with Haut Bailly, Chevalier and Carmes Haut Brion) that the best 16s are superlative and brilliantly architected for the long-term.

Rauzan Ségla

Rauzan Ségla 2016 is refined, with a liqueur-like mouth feel, and a hint of prunes. It’s less pure than Rauzan-Ségla 2015, with its fine nose, superbly energetic attack, refined mid palate and liquorice infused, fruit-driven finish. Rauzan-Ségla 2014 is dry, mid-weight, unforced and classic, with appealing grip, and a great, insistent finish. 

Margaux was a star appellation of 2015, and this wine confirms how relatively disappointing the commune'’s wines are in 2016. They remain fine claret from a good vintage, but they miss out on the excitement of the ‘15s.

Pontet Canet

Our Pauillac representative of the comparative tasting stood out for its increasingly aromatic character, a factor that Justine Tesseron attributes to the growing influence that biodynamic farming is having on the fruit. 

Pontet Canet 2015 was one of the most refined and silky examples of the appellation, yet today it just didn't cut it in the company of the glorious 2014 and deeply serious 2016.  Pontet Canet 2016 displayed a fine nose, wonderfully textured fruit, a really firm mid-palate with bitter-edged fruit before sweetening into the long finish.  Serious, long-haul stuff – and I suspect might become a legend 50 years hence. Pontet Canet 2014 is extremely aromatic, sweetly imbued with angelica flavouring, and with proper, grainy tannins on the finish.

Montrose

Montrose 2015 is delicious and aromatic: a fine showing for the vintage, yet seemed to lack a bit of structure. St Estephe in particular produced some of the best wines in a generation in 2016, and Montrose shows up that difference as does almost every wine from the appellation. Montrose 2016 is equally as expressive as 2015, but feels like a wine for the longer term, with more serious structure and vital freshness. What impresses here is the focus and elegance, which make this one of the stars of the vintage.


Picture: Wine Owners Ltd.


Cos d'Estournel 2016

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-04-25


Cos d’Estournel was truly fabulous in 2016 and shows a decisive shift of style away from over-extracted to an elegant, dare we say, powerful aristocratic style – the archetypal iron hand in velvet glove.

The great news is that the release price is the same as 2015, with a small increase due to currency exchange.

The price per points analysis shows 2016 to be a rather sensible buy in the context of comparison with the best vintages of the last 17 years.

Comparison with 2010 suggests a modest 10% upside, or a 75% upside versus the 100 point 2009. But, what price per points doesn’t show is the move to elegance, something that’s been applauded by the critics. But in our view, it’s a better wine than both those vintages and arguably at least the equal of Chateau Montrose.

"This is one of the best Cos d'Estournels that I can remember trying at this early stage, it really does have every hair standing up on end. Powerful and deep, with a clear intensity but such delicacy; this is fresh, beautiful and  succulent. It moves effortlessly through the palate without ever letting you forget that it's there. Deep black cherries, touches of dark chocolate and graphite are driven forward by a pulse of energy. From a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc aged in 60% new oak"

Jane Anson, Decanter Magazine

"Energy and raciness on the nose. Gentle and lifted. And then lots of tannins underneath. Fresh almost sandy tannins. Good energy and tea-leaf sensation. Excellent freshness. Long. Restrained. Elegant."

Jancis Robinson




Bordeaux 2016 - How good is the vintage?

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-04-24



Bordeaux 2016 - What should my buying strategy look like?

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-04-24



Bordeaux 2016 - our tasting notes

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-04-24


For a detailed overview of the vintage, please see What you need to know about Bordeaux 2016 reds

This year’s Bordeaux 2016 en primeur tasting notes reflect the vintage and its character. You’ll see the same words come up again and again in our tasting notes.

For fruit character, that commonly includes "briar fruit", "cassis" or "blackcurrant" and "sherbetty fruit". Very few showed prune or confit fruit character, and we generally marked these ones down as potentially showing overripe characteristics.

For non-fruit character, it’s "licorice" and "cedar". An Interestingly definitional note: Licorice (or liquorice) is extracted from the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a herb whose extract is 50 times sweeter than sugar!

Many of the best wines have a "liqueur-like" refined nose and a similar mouth-feel.

Structurally, a "charge of tannins" is very evident on the attack, often accompanied by a "chewy" finish. This comes from the July/August drought when lack of water led to the plants shutting down and producing correspondingly higher tannins.

The long autumn hang-time with cool nights led to the sense of freshness in the wines. You’ll find lots of wines in my notes that are "mouth-watering", "sappy" and "threaded with acidity".

The finish of the wine is so important when evaluating young, fine (and expensive) wine and this year the finishes are typified by the word "controlled" whilst there was generally very good "insistent" length. It’s that sense of containment and balance on the finish that helps make the best wines so good and sets them apart from the rest.

Further tasting notes will release on the right bank in due course where I did the least tasting, and see these links for what the critics think of St Emilion and Pomerol.

DECANTER - Bordeaux 2016 Right Bank: Anson’s first impression

JANCIS ROBINSON - Bordeaux 2016 : the guide

Picture: Wine Owners Ltd.

SAINT ESTEPHE

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Cos D'Estournel 98 * Cedary, sweet nose. Then a charge of tannin. Firm fruit, progressively building from a cool mid palate to a powerful, broad finish - rather like a fan opening or a peacock's tail slowly revealing its intricate colours.   £££ Saint Estephe
Montrose 97 Liqueur like nose. Cassis and cedar notes in the attack then sweet mouthwatering, very balanced mid palate. Sweet finish. Very fine. £££ Saint Estephe
Calon Ségur 97 * Blackcurrant nose, airy, structured attack, liqueur-like texture, then rich summer fruits and a warmer than anticipated finish. Nice firm undercurrent nonetheless as the soft tannins push through and bring needed focus to the finale. £££ saint Estephe
Le Crock 95 * Refined nose, lovely attack, grainy fruit. Tremendous attack and energy. Dark fruit infused with licorice. Complete, large scaled and satisfying. ££ saint Estephe
Lafon Rochet 95 * This is fine. Spiced, sweet fruit on the attack and mid palate, a big tannic charge and chewy finish. This is long term, big-scaled and really serious. ££ Saint Estephe
Chateau Phelan Segur 93 * Svelte, dense, lots of freshness, spiced attack. Soyeux, with a point of freshness at the finish. ££ Saint Estephe
Cos Labory 93 * Good density and attack. Very good complexity to the fruit. Mid weight. Super length. Quite clearly the best since the superb 1990. ££ Saint Estephe
Ormes de Pez 92 * Seasoned nose, a touch of cassis and cream, glorious cassis fruit and blackcurrant leaf. Great freshness and zesty finish.  ££ Saint Estephe

Pagodes

92 Gentle attack, a sweet flourish and a mouthwatering mid-palate. Attractive, if not the most impressive St Estephe this year. ££ Saint Estephe
Dame de Montrose 91 Lovely attack, good dry fruit, nice lift and fine finish. ££ Saint Estephe
Meyney 93 * Liqueur-like in its texture, a super attack of cassis crème. Long, intense, well balanced and super-well integrated. I love St Estepehe in 2016 £ Saint Estephe
Chateau de Pez 92 * Super-vibrant, a little sweeter than some, but nicely done and a great finish. £ Saint Estephe
Marquis de Calon Segur 90 Evident structure, quite sweet mid-palate but lots of sap to it too to accompany the ripeness, hence the finish coats the lips with a dollop of cassis jam. £ Saint Estephe
Capberne Casqueton 89 Savoury, attractive attack with good weight, a noticeable intensity, but just a little less energy for me than 2010. Second best ever vintage of this wine. £ Saint Estephe
Tronquoy Lalande 89 Briar fruit, quite deep, merlot heavy and correspondingly plush. £ Saint Estephe
Haut Marbuzet 88 It's fine, but in a veritable constellation of terrific St Estephe performances, this is closer to the back of the classroom. £ Saint Estephe


PAUILLAC

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Lafite Rothschild 99 * Subtle, elegant, understated. Buffered tannins, very, very complex fruit with an illuminated fringe of acidity. It's an exercise in balance with a firm, insistent finish. ££££ Pauillac
Mouton 98 Aromatic, perfumed, sensual nose. Lush, huge, spiced with cloves. Powerful and dense. Very fine complex palate, anise seeds. Amazingly well-integrated tannins. ££££ pauillac
Latour 97 Restrained nose, fruit attack, buffered tannins, complex with an iron infusion and a touch a meatiness, leading to a firm finish.  ££££ Pauillac
Carruades de Lafite 96 * Mouthwatering attack, Covered, voluminous fruit. Powerful, serious wine. Licorice. Very, very long. Best ever. ££££ Pauillac
Pichon Longueville Lalande 99 * Subdued nose, then a very refined attack, more backward than many, but there's evident intensity of fruit, a wonderful aromatic quality, with great prickly acidity throughout. Not showy, but extremely impressive in its reserved, elemental state. It feels like it could be a legend in the making. £££ Pauillac
Pontet Canet 97 * Saline, eucalyptus nose, powerful attack. Sweeter than some others. Unctuous but a beautiful balance. The sweet fruit submerges the considerable tannins. Then a sappy, mouthwatering lift. Pure, powerful and in line with the character of the vintage, a firm finish. £££ pauillac
Pichon Baron Longeuville 96 Vinous nose. Fine attack and mid palate, showing balance and control. Super-refined. Aromatic, characterful and complete. £££ Pauillac
Lynch Bages 96 * Deep nose, packed with fruit. Energetic attack. A formidable charge of tannins; chewy, bright attack. Settled, calm finish. £££ pauillac
Petit Mouton 93 Very fine nose, svelte, integrated, balanced powerful, long and large scaled. £££ pauillac
Chateau Clerc Milon 96 * Seasoned nose, restrained, quite high acidity. Very mouthwatering and dry. Vinous mid palate. Firm, damsons, réglisse, very svelte finish. Liqueur quality of texture. Very refined but not polished or made-up. ££ Pauillac
Grand Puy Lacoste 95 * Rich and generous nose, with a touch of licorice. Smooth, supremely balanced wine featuring crystalline fruit. As good as 2010. ££ pauillac
Réserve de la Comtesse 94 * Vinous nose, perfumed with myrrh, delightfully textured and delicious mid palate. It's hard not to fall in love with this. ££ Pauillac
D'Armailhac 94 Liqueur-like, fine nose. Good attack. Fine thread of acidity. Sweet mid palate and very controlled, sweet, sappy finish. Lots of tannin, very well integrated.  ££ pauillac
Echo (Lynch Bages) 92 Large-scaled, aromatic fruit, nice grip, sappy, dry mid palate. Characterful. ££ Pauillac
Chateau Duhart Milon 91 Warm, vinous nose. Quite an overt palate. Slightly bitter twist to the fruit. Quite intense. Powerful tannic charge in the mid-palate. Reminds me of the 89s when they were babies. Ambitious. ££ pauillac
Chateau Croizet Bages 91 Covered, thickly styled fruit, cedary fresh and insistent, long finish. Cedary and good overall balance. ££ Pauillac
Chateau Lynch Moussas 90 Iron-infused fruit. A little fierce, but likely to settle down with a bit of bottle age. There is proper intensity there and it's certainly 'real' young wine; a bit disjointed but with the key elements in place. ££ Pauillac
Pedesclaux 93 *

Good concentration, fresh, with a taut citric core. Mouthwatering then the dense fruit kicks in towards the end. Very progressive and very good. Retested May 17: Classical and firm, fresh damsons, spicy, sweet.

£ Pauillac
Lacoste Borie 90 Nice density, good weight, freshness and very silky tannins £ pauillac
Batailley 90 Pretty, confit fruit. Earlier drinking but delicious for what it is. £ Pauillac
Grand Puy Ducasse 89 At the sweeter end of the spectrum in the vintage context. £ Pauillac
Griffons 89 Dense and texturally interesting. Liqueur-like, fruity, and a charge of tannins, that perhaps prematurely curtail the finish. £ Pauillac
Pibran 87 Slightly odd. A bit of fur on the fruit. A little savoury and wild for my taste. £ Pauillac
Tourelles de Longueville A bit dull. Uninteresting. £ Pauillac


SAINT JULIEN

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Leoville Las Cases 96 Super aromatic nose. Savoury. Finely crafted fruit, comprising redcurrants, briar and cherry. Cushioned tannins, and a very integrated finish, with an orange-peel lift.   £££ Saint Julien
Ducru Beaucaillou 95 Vinous nose of blackberry leaf and cedar. Bright attack, chewy without a tannic charge of the year seen elsewhere. Very covered in plush fruit, though fresh and with good energy. Blackcurrant and mint. Cushioned tannins. Lovely but perhaps a little polished for so early? £££ Saint Julien
Chateau Leoville Barton 95 * Lovely firm-fruited attack, intense but not huge. Very fine mid palate Sweet fruited and medium weight. Insistent and elegant. ££ Saint Julien
Chateau Gruaud Larose 94 Cool reserved nose, controlled, fine attack. Very fine tannins. Beautifully balanced. ££ Saint Julien
Branaire Ducru 94 Complete wine, great mouth-coating texture. Big but fine tannins. ££ Saint Julien
Beychevelle 94 * Liqueur-like nose, vivid attack, rich progressive finish but reassuringly controlled. Excellent. ££ Saint Julien
Leoville Poyferré 94 Cedary, saline nose, big cassis and briar fruit, with a touch of warmth. Controlled progression, super-integrated tannins, then a dry tannic charge kicks in with chewy, fresh, matière. ££ Saint Julien
St. Pierre 94 * Powerful attack and tannins but a sweet and long mid palate. Complete and long. Much better balance than the over-polished 2015. Much better and unforced in 2016. ££ Saint Julien
Langoa Barton 93 Round, sweet mid palate and a mouthwatering finish. Charm and character. ££ Saint Julien
Gloria 92 * Cool nose, fine mid palate, good energy and a citrus lemony finish. ££ Saint Julien
Talbot 92 A bit bigger on the attack than some,  but certainly not too sweet, and although a little unknit at this stage, there's a fine sap to the finish and it could evolve into an excellent Talbot.  ££ Saint Julien
Chateau Lagrange St Julien 91 Cool restrained nose, super charge of tannins, and a sappy finish. A little bit unknit at this stage to be hyper-critical, but the intensity is there, hence the positive score. ££ Saint Julien
Clos du Marquis 90 This is very good, peppery, reserved nose, mid weight. Crystalline, crunchy fruit. £ Saint Julien
Moulin Riche 89 Rich, chewy, with a cocktail of cherry and briar fruit. Gives the impression of being more alcoholic than others. Good length. £ Saint Julien
Petit Lion 89 Liqueur-like and refined on the palate, quite a bit of acidity and right now, not the longest finish. £ Saint Julien
Lalande Borie 88 Mid weight, sappy and a reasonable finish. 2010 a better prospect at this level. £ Saint Julien
la Petite Marquise 88 Cassis nose, creamy and field herbs, including anise on the palate. Approachable and well-balanced with an attractive fresh finish, that is nevertheless on the short side. £ Saint Julien
Croix de Beaucaillou 88 Vinous, liqueur-like nose, sappy, sweet with soft, svelte fruit. Forward. £ Saint Julien


MARGAUX

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Palmer 98 * Lots of energy, the attack is incredible. 29 ha/ha due to a mildew attack resulting from a miscalculation (too little) of copper treatment on this biodynamic estate. Creamy briar fruit in a mid-weight+ frame. So much more elegant than 2015. Classy firm fruit. Sweet sherbetty mid-palate and an interesting herbaceousness on the finish. Beautiful wine. ££££ Margaux
Margaux 96 Refined nose, faintly perfumed. Cassis and energetic attack. A less harmonious mid palate than 2015, but still with a at least a good dab of summer pudding emerging with air. More of a sappy character, firm tannins lurking in background but barely surfacing. This could be very good but is somewhat backward today.   ££££ Margaux
Pavillon Rouge 92 Subdued nose, saline. Savoury palate, quite powerful attack. Rather unusual 84% cabernet composition, signaling the ongoing and increasing seriousness of Margaux's second wine, lending some support to its market price. £££ Margaux
Ego (de Palmer) 94 * Delicious! Croquant fruit, fine lingering finish, Evident purity. ££ Margaux
Chateau Durfort Vivens 93 * Characterful and grippy. Quite crystalline, crunchy fruit, with black cherry infused mid palate. Chewy finish competes with persistence of fruit on a mid-weight frame. This is different to 2015, that came across as richer and more mineral (iron), but the minerality is still there. Time will tell which is the more satisfying, they are both excellent in their very different ways. Demeter certified this year (French biodynamic certification).  ££ Margaux
Brane Cantenac 92 Rounded, showing as forward in the context of the vintage, back cherry infused mid-palate, lifted by freshness and with a very nice finish. £ Margaux
Rauzan Segla 90 Very classy as always but it's not 2015. £ Margaux
Lascombes 89 Nice attack, then mid palate fades away. Maybe just closed? £ Margaux
Cantenac Brown 89-91

Very nicely balanced, mid weight, not a patch on the 2015. Retasted May 17: Ripe, progressive, spiced and very energetic. This has come on leaps and bounds in 6 weeks since previous tasting.

£ Margaux
Prieuré Lichine 88 Good energy, just lacking character. £ Margaux
Malescot St. Exupery 88 I worry that there's a bit of a hole in the middle of the palate. £ Margaux
Kirwan 88 OK, but not as exciting as the rather good 2015. £ Margaux
D'Issan 88-91 A bit stalky? Not a patch on the marvelously saline 2015. Retasted May 17: lifted and fine. £ Margaux
Ferriere 87 I love this Chateau for its direct character blending ripe fruit with a classic mould. I'm afraid 2016 isn't one of those vintages I can recommend. You'd be best looking backwards at least 5-10 years for value for money drinking. £ Margaux


MOULIS EN MEDOC

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Mauvesin Barton 92 * Superb texture and good length £ Moulis en Medoc
Chasse Spleen 92 * Liqueur-like texture, solid mid-palate and a fine finish. Very good indeed, and this should be a sensible buy as it always performs in the secondary market. £ Moulis en Medoc


LISTRAC

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Forcas Borie 89 Superb, fleshy merlot. A lovely near-term wine that should drink on release but has the stuffing to last. A surprise and another good showing for Moulis in 2016. £ Listrac


MEDOC

 Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Les Grands Chenes 91 * Juicy, fruity nose. Liqueur texture in the mouth with a controlled, fresh, mouthwatering finish. Young vines on what Bernard Magrez describes as a very impressive terroir with a little bit of gradient to it. This is not at all what I was expecting: classical and quite fine for what it is. £ Medoc
Goulée 88 Quite rich, warm inviting nose, not the longest. £ medoc
Chapelle de Potensac 87 Savoury nose. Approachable and easy, a certain density notwithstanding, then savouriness on the mid palate and a nice bright finish. Far less serious than Potensac but does that make it any the worse? £ Medoc
Tour de By 86 No £ Medoc
Tour St Bonnet 86 No £ Medoc
Potensac 86 Aromatic attack, a tannic charge and a slightly rustic finish. This is an agitated wine. Big chewy end-game. £ Medoc


PESSAC LEOGNAN

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Mission Haut Brion 97 * Vinous. Round, inviting nose. Aristocratic, juggling dense, firm fruit and a mid-weight+ stature. Fresh mid palate, mouthwatering, a fine thread of acidity coaxes the wine into a long, lingering finale. More approachable than Haut Brion and today all the better for it. ££££ Pessac-Leognan
Haut Brion 95 Floral notes precede a cool nose of ripe fruit. On the palate the fruit is firm, a little more withdrawn at first than MHB, showing a touch of oak, but the tannins are super-fine. Cool finish despite the obvious lurking size of the wine. Should show more in the future, for now probably quite impressive, and elemental just like 2015 was, not obviously showy. In terms of ranking I's suggest more like 1998 than 1989, and a notch or two below their super-serious and intense 2015. My guess is the quality of the Cabernet Franc last vintage was a step up. £££ Pessac-Leognan
Carmes Haut Brion 95 * Firm, proper and mouthwatering from partial whole bunches. Very good length. Classy and a standout in Pessac at this level. ££ Pessac-Leognan
Domaine de Chevalier 94 * Lightly seasoned nose. Firm, fruit, bright aromatic mid palate and finale. Sherbetty and refreshing. Fine tannins. Nicely judged weight. ££ pessac-Leognan
Clarence de Haut Brion 90 Fruity accessible nose, touch of white pepper. Textured entry allied to a lightness of feel, then a touch of warmth and caramel on the finish.  ££ pessac-Leognan
La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion 90 Vinous, fine tannins, crystalline fruit, and a licorice twist towards the back of the mid palate. Mid weight and delicious.  ££ Pessac-Leognan
Pape Clément 90 I fell in love with Pape Clément last year. It had such exceptional balance, lift and class. The terroir truly expressed itself combined with a velour quality to the fruit and great definition thanks to its freshness. 2016 is a step backwards, with hints of over-ripeness within the rich fruit, and (for me) missing a sense of place. ££ pessac Leognan
Malartic La Graviere 91 * Superb, mid weight and moorish claret with gently sweet mid palate. £ Pessac-Leognan
La Louviere 89 Good mid weight, with some intensity and charm £ pessac-Leognan
Esprit de Chevalier 89 Aromatic character, present tannins and graves like dry finish. £ Pessac-Leognan
Solitude 88 Mid weight and nicely balanced £ pessac-Leognan
Espault Martillac 88 Padded savoury fruit. £ pessac-Leognan
Chateau Carbonnieux 88 A bit rustic £ Pessac-Leognan


SAINT EMILION

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Cheval Blanc 96 Subdued nose, stony and earthy. Very fine mid palate, progressive, aromatic attack, juicy dark licorice and spiced finish. ££££ Saint Emilion
Figeac 99 * Perfumed nose with jasmine. Energetic attack. Cedary mid palate. Fresh pithy attack. Then chewy bitter, dark cherry conclusion. This is excellent. A bit less of an eager labrador than 2015, it misses the rich summer pudding quality of last year but has greater elegance and is nigh on perfect. £££ Saint Emilion
Petit Cheval 91 Liqueur textured elegance, leading to a dark, slightly pruney finish £££ Saint Emilion
Quintus 91 Sweet fruited nose, good volume, nicely done. ££ Saint Emilion
Quinault L'Enclos 95 * Great fruity nose, very aromatic. Lovely liqueur like mouth feel on a river of flavour. Effortless and fine. Highly recommended. £ Saint Emilion
Corbin 93 * Quite fat, red fruit predominate, super intensity, quite creamy. Bramble and sloe. Very good. £ Saint Emilion
Destieux 92 * Liqueur eau de vie nose, character and energy, good intensity and a properly chewy finish. This will be good value. £ Saint Emilion
Fombrauge 89 Good intensity, tannic charge and grainy texture, with a slightly loose finish £ Saint Emilion
Le Dragon de Quintus 89 Fruity nose, firm fruited palate. £ Saint Emilion
Labergorce 87 Savoury, some intensity, cherry finish but slightly rustic £ Saint Emilion
Saintayme 87 Powerful, lifted attach, with a very firm, slightly bitter mid-palate. (Was this a bad tasting moment of mine?) £ Saint Emilion
La Dominique 87 Middle of the road, nothing to complain about - or to get excited about. 2015 considerably better. £ Saint Emilion


POMEROL

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Vieux Chateau Certan 97 *
Reserved nose, with a  lovely infusion of eau de vie. There is a very substantial tannic charge in the mid palate, with plenty of intense dark, covered fruit and licorice to compete. Impressive but my guess is that will be a pretty backward wine for years to come.  £££ Pomerol
Eglise Clinet 95 Intense, firm, backward, impressive. £££ Pomerol
Conseillante 95 Seasoned nose, cool. Creamy and dense cassis fruit, the attack is rather aromatic. The expansive mid palate is spiced. Chewy but soft and silken tannins on the progressively rich finish. Rich yet there's a crystalline aspect; a control and focus that constrains the eager fruit. £££ Pomerol
l'Evangile 92 Dark hued and correspondingly darker flavours than many in 2016. Cassis, mulberries and a hint of plum. There's a certain freshness that duels with a little warmth on the finish, like a welcome current of air alleviating an otherwise hot day. Those who enjoy bigger wines will attract to L'Evangile. £££ Pomerol
Petit Villages 95 *
Cedar nose, cool. Liqueur like texture, the fruit infused with eau de vie. Super charge of tannins, racy balanced and elegant. Is this the best Petit-Villages ever? ££ pomerol
Vray Croix de Gay 92 *
Reserved, elegant with a fine finish. Good vinosity. ££ Pomerol
Chateau Rouget 92 Good definition, intensity and freshness ££ Pomerol
Petite Eglise 90 An exercise in restraint for the vintage, but for now it presents as a bit angular. (Was this a bad tasting moment of mine?) £ Pomerol
Chateau Beauregard 89 Nice control on he finish though comes across as a little monolithic £ pomerol
Chateau La Pointe 88 Big attack, sticky ripe fruit, quite monolithic £ Pomerol 


LALANDE DE POMEROL

Producer Score Favourited Description Price bracket Appellation
Siaurac 92 * Classy, balanced, controlled, rich and delicious. £ Lalande de Pomerol
la Chenade 88 Mid weight, sappy, pure, grippy bitter fruit. Good length and satisfying finish. What I don't get is a specific character. £ Lalande de Pomerol
Cruzelles 87 Bitter cherry, a little drying in the mid palate ((Was this a bad tasting moment of mine?) £ Lalande de Pomerol


Picture: Wine Owners Ltd.


Bordeaux 2016 - François-Xavier Maroteaux from Branaire Ducru

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-04-11


Here's what François-Xavier Maroteaux has to say about yields and quality as demonstrated by Bordeaux 2016 primeurs. A 'hard' and uniform fruit set in resulted in large-sized bunches but of small berries, so whilst volume is up 10% above a 'normal' harvest, don't think it was because berries were big, quite the reverse was the case. Phenolics levels were high too, reflecting lots of tannins and colorants. Tannins are rich and refined, with rich fruit coating the big structure.


Bordeaux 2016 with Nicolas Glumineau from Pichon Lalande

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-04-10


Nicolas Gluimineau recounts the growing season in 2016; the twists and turns of a difficult drought summer following an enormous amount of rain in the first 6 months' of the year. Thankfully the rains finally stopped in June, followed by an almost completely arid July and August. Drought conditions caused winemakers to fear dry, tough tannins, because when a vine can't take on the water it needs in order to ripen the fruit, the berries produce tannin in lieu. Think 1975. Yet that fear was not realised, and whilst we found a few wines with awkward tannins (at this early stage) on the right bank, in the Medoc and Graves tannins were uniformly rich. For Nicholas the end result is "just incredible" and "a miracle". #PichonLalande is one of our picks for wine of the vintage.


What you need to know about Bordeaux 2016 reds

by Wine Owners

Posted on 2017-04-10


One or two commentators and one famous Bordeaux consulting oenologist are calling 2016 the best red Bordeaux vintage since 1982. Hyberbole indeed.

Bordeaux lovers and collectors have become somewhat inured to these sorts of statements. A bit like Peter, if you cry ‘wolf’ too often no one believes you when you really mean it.

Calling a vintage as a whole so early might be considered a touch reckless or over-enthusiastic, but after all that's part and parcel of the en primeur sales promotion process. It’s the wine marketing equivalent of the Oscars and it’s entirely understandable that on the back of a fine production the main actors and directors will be inclined to think their most recent performances are the best ever. New-borns are always the most miraculous and beautiful in the eyes of mesmerised parents.

But more importantly, for a vintage to be considered truly great, we think it has to be utterly consistent at a very high level across all major appellations, and ideally, relatively speaking brilliant in a number of the smaller, less grand appellations too.

2016 is not a consistently brilliant vintage across the board.

Yet Bordeaux 2016 is in many ways the perfect foil to 2015.

At Chateau Latour. Picture: Wine Owners Ltd.

Whereas 2015 was particularly strong in Margaux and Pessac-Leognan, not to mention some of the satellite right bank communes, 2016 was especially strong in St. Estephe and Pauillac.

I’d go so far to say that 2016 was the best vintage since 1982 – but only in St. Estephe. That appellation really nailed it.

Pauillac was also fabulous, possibly unsurpassed, but we also found the wines to be very consistent at an extraordinarily high level in 2010, whilst it’s hard to imagine more complete wines than the heights achieved by many in 1989. With so many great vintages already present in the Pauillac trophy cabinet, we’re going to avoid phrases such as ‘best ever’. But 2016 Pauillacs are very, very good indeed and we are truly smitten.

St Julien is a commune of great consistency once again. It’s the perennial ‘safe pair of hands’ of Bordeaux, with all the major protagonists delivering very satisfying results with great regularity. 2016 was no different: a fine result all round. Overall we think 2016 is going to be better than 2015 with greater complexity and character, and is certainly the finest since 2010 or 2005.

The bits of the Haut Medoc appellation just north of St. Estephe and south of St. Julien produced a few terrific wines in 2016 as well. But this sprawling catch-all produces 33,000,000 bottles of wines a year from 4,600 hectares and spans 29 communes across the Medoc peninsula from top to bottom, taking in the windswept mouth of the Gironde estuary to the grim warehouse agglomeration north of the city, so don't be surprised that quality is extremely variable.

Moulis and Listrac produced a few strong contenders this year too, showing none of the astringency associated with average vintages.

Margaux is a commune with a range of geographies that commonly delivers a corresponding patchwork of results. This year the wines presented as relatively bland and middle-weight, a bit of a disappointment after the stunning result achieved across the board in 2015.

Those who didn't buy Margaux in 2015 will want to revisit at some point. Nonetheless the small number of highlights were exciting to taste for their aromatic complexity and lightness of feel –consequently they are elegant, refined wines.

Chateau Margaux, framed. Picture: Wine Owners Ltd.

South of the city in Pessac-Léognan, the wines were a bit of a mixed bunch too. Some presented as truly beautiful examples of classic claret, threaded with fine acidity, moreish thanks to sherbetty fruit, but I thought 2015 was a stronger overall vintage for this large appellation, whose production has increased 3-fold in the last 40 years.

On the right bank, in St. Emilion and Pomerol the homogeneity of the vintage is less clear. I tasted less wine here, though many that I did were gorgeous: beautiful wines with up to a full percentage point less alcohol than in 2015. But others with loaded tannins left a faintly bitter fingerprint on the mid-palate, whilst a few seemed just a touch too powerful and black-hued. The impression I got is that the difficulty of the summer drought was much more evident here and there when compared with the left bank.

The summer drought was a period during when the plants shut down and compensated their lack of water by producing more tannins. The best results on the right bank will have been achieved by gentle handling of the fruit during fermentation preceded by a rigorous triage of those berries showing any signs of surmaturité.

Frédéric Faye at Chateau Figeac describes their fermentation process as an ‘infusion’ with the gentlest of extractions achieved from the submerged cap, and no pigeage. This seems to have been an ideal approach in a vintage of climatic extremes such as 2016.

Is it a coincidence that my two favourite right bank wines, Cheval Blanc and Figeac, both include cabernet sauvignon, in the case of the former, for the first time ever? On the other hand I didn’t taste the top Mouiex wines or Le Pin, which I gather all showed brilliantly, so clearly many factors, including resisting picking too early to avoid a harsh edge to the tannins, were at play in this vintage.

Generalising, 2016s show greater freshness than 2015, and so come across as more delineated and complex.

"Saint Estephe made its best wine EVER in #Bdx16". Picture: Wine Owners Ltd.

Finish is one of the most desirable attributes in a wine that is expensive and sought-after in equal measure. Acidity helps in this regard, freshening sweet, ripe fruit, lending energy to the wine, and accentuating a lingering finish. Persistence and focus are the hallmarks of 2016. Whereas 2015 right bank wines tended to a somewhat alcoholic finish, overall there’s more control to the finishes in 2016.

The balance of the best 2016s is exquisite, with a mass of ripe fruit coating the very substantial tannins of the year. The vintage’s trademark freshness makes each wine’s character more discernable, and at this stage of the wines’ evolution it’s natural to want to pick those out as personal favourites.

My favourites were also the wines that combined the vintage’s ripe briar, cassis and black cherry fruit characters with a sense of minerality and a fine line of acidity threaded through the ensemble.

Much has been said of the volume of wine produced in 2016. Production is up on 2015, but much of that comes from a very ‘hard’ and uniform fruit set that led to larger than normal bunches, i.e. with a greater number of berries per bunch than normal, but with berries of only a moderate or smaller than average size. Production volume, assumed by some to be a potentially negative factor, is a red herring in 2016.

Consequently the juice to skin ratio is no higher than normal, and 2016 has the highest ‘IPT’ numbers of any modern vintage. IPT is a measure of the combined phenolic compounds in the juice - principally tannins and anthocyanidans (colorants responsible for the red, purple and blue hues in grapes).

When all is said and done, there are plenty of exciting wines to pick from this year. I suspect many will close down with a bit of time in bottle with all that underlying structure, no matter how well resolved and integrated the tannins tasted at this early stage in a great many of the wines. Nevertheless, the tannins are generally not quite as silky as in 2015, though they are richer. 2015 may therefore turn out to be more immediately gratifying, if ultimately less exciting.

Now it’s going to be down to release prices. After all, without an obvious and sizeable price advantage for buying early, there’s little or no logic in tying up large amounts of cash on unfinished wine. It’s improbable that prices won’t increase, but those increases may be rather more patchy than normal this year appellation by appellation. And if Chateau owners can resist taking too much of the upside off the table, they may well have a winning campaign.

The Bordeaux whispers suggest an early campaign, over by the end of June, which may lead many to hope for moderation of any price increases. We shall have to wait and see.


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