Bordeaux 2016 - our tasting notes

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