by Wine Owners
Posted on 2017-08-08
Early afternoon 22 May 2017 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 tranche in a couple of weeks’ time. Négociants waited, not wishing to be stuck with more highly priced second tranche releases.
In tandem the Chateau also attempted to revive its 2010 vintage strategy of tying other wines in the stable to allocations of Carruades and le Grand Vin. Either Rieussec and Carmes de Rieussec were being tied to Carruades, or Carruades was being tied with Duhart, or Duhart was being tied with Lafite.
As an aside, there was nothing subpar with Duhart this year, a properly serious wine in fact. But using it in a bait-and-switch move is unlikely to enhance the bait’s secondary market reputation.
Then, without waiting for the second tranche, more than one of the smaller négociants broke ranks on releasing the first tranche to customers, but estimating the cost of the second tranche and pricing at the intersect of the two. With lack of market transparency buyers were uncertain what fair value might look like.
In fact the majority of estimated intersect prices turned out to be the level of the second release price, handing merchants a handy profit of 20%, and suggesting Lafite were less aggressive with their second release pricing than they had previously signposted.
Thankfully, Lafite 2016 represents a big step up on the previous vintage, so the price increase will likely be justified in the medium term, if as expected, the secondary market adds 25% to its release price over the next few years. In fact Lafite 2016 is simply glorious: an absolute pinnacle of classicism in this great left bank vintage.
Notwithstanding, the Lafite release ‘strategy’ represents everything that is most unattractive about Bordeaux en primeur at its opaque worst.
None of which would matter, if it weren’t for the consumer. It wasn’t so long ago that the Bordeaux market was moribund: the market killed off by aggressive pricing of 2009 and 2010 vintages and a subsequent market collapse. As long as consumers end up nursing persistent losses, there is a high risk of a collapse in market confidence. Commodity-like collectible markets that wine epitomises are particularly sensitive to the maintenance of positive sentiment.
We’re certainly not back in territory as yet. Lafite 2016 released at almost 50% below that of 2010, whilst for UK buyers the collapse of Sterling has magnified price increases, whereas the strength of the US Dollar provides a tailwind for Bordeaux sales into the USA.
But the Bordelais need to be mindful of what happened following the mis-priced 2010 release. Lest we forget, it was barely 3 years ago that the Bordeaux secondary market was still in the doldrums. The remarkable market resurgence that started in late 2014 should not be taken for granted. The Chateaux have a profound responsibility to avoid the Dory Syndrome, named after the forgetful fish in the Disney film animation.
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.
by Wine Owners
Posted on 2017-04-28
27th April is a date with heart-rending connotations. On that night last year (2016), the vast majority of the Cote D'Or was affected by a really hard frost. The rising sun the following morning burned the vines and a high proportion of the young plant growth was irrevocably damaged, reducing the size of the harvest by up to 80%-90% in the worst affected vineyards.
Much of the month of April 2017 has been unseasonably warm. In Bordeaux en primeur week of 3rd April saw temperatures in the mid to high 20s centigrade, and that warm weather held for a good 3 weeks, encouraging bud break and a significant amount of plant growth 2-3 weeks ahead of the normal cycle.
But during the night of 27th April, temperatures dived as low as -4c, and in certain sectors a large proportion of the potential crop has been lost.
The best terroirs next to the Garonne were largely if not entirely unaffected, thanks to the warming influence of the river. But away from the river, and near woodland, this year's hard frost hit hardest. That means some areas of Margaux were badly affected, the Haut Medoc, Listrac and Moulis, with bits of lower lying areas of St Julien also touched.
Significantly there has been widespread damage across the right bank including in St Emilion, aside from the Plateau which was spared. Pomerol is said to have also been affected. The right bank satellite appellations have been hit very hard. South of the city certain parts of Pessac and the Graves have been affected, where the damage is said to have been patchy.
Low lying areas have been most affected, which means a lot of second wine from some top estates will have been much reduced if not entirely wiped out.
Fears were that the early hours of the 28th April would create more devastation. The weather forecast did not augur well. And as painful as it is to say, that's exactly what happened. Our hearts go out to all those affected. Like a boxer flat out on the ropes at the bell yet with the prospect of having to go back in the ring to receive more punishment the following round. No doubt low lying areas and estates near woods or forests were once again worst affected. We pray that overall it won't be as bad as 1991.
Aside from the terrible blow the frosts have wreaked, the commercial implications are threefold: there will be less 2016 wine offered at first release than would have been the case, certainly in the worst affected sectors; what is released might be more expensive than it would otherwise have been; and it could slow down the en primeur releases, resulting in a longer campaign.
The best second wines in 2016 could be worth extra focus if you are intending to drink at that level, as there will be proportionally much less next year.
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
by Wine Owners
Posted on 2017-04-24
by Wine Owners
Posted on 2017-04-24
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.
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.
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.
by Wine Owners
Posted on 2017-04-05
