Wednesday Wines – Episode 225 – The Finest 2016 Bordeaux Revisited
Here are the best 17 wines (from a total of 60 Châteaux) from a recent retrospective organised by Berry Bros & Rudd. I have listed my En Primeur notes from my tastings back in April 2017 and then (in bold italics) my snap judgements on how these incredible wines are travelling now. One thing is certain – 2016 is a stunning vintage, and all these wines are available on the market now. www.bbr.com
The wines are listed in the order of the BBR booklet.
2016 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge, Pessac-Léognan
This is a flamboyant, layered, upholstered DdC with succulent fruit and very well-judged oak. There is tannin here, but it is sprinkled generously along the whole length of the palate rather than arriving solely at the end. Impressive, and with an extra level of juiciness on board, this is a very charming wine.
DDC is starting to drink now, which is a surprise. The tannins are very fine, but the juicy fruit is sumptuous, and it has driven this wine forward. This is a beautiful wine.
2016 Château Haut-Bailly Rouge, Pessac-Léognan
The aromatic attack is amazing in this wine. There is serious intensity here, but this is not a heavy or muscular Haut-Bailly. The fruit is compact and sour, raging with powdery tannins and considerable energy, but the wine’s framework is bold, and it takes this onslaught in its stride. The length is staggering and the balance spot on, and while this is a very early moment in this wine’s life (I can see it making 40 years of age with ease), this is a true Grand Vin. The overriding scent of roses and musk, coupled with exoticism and classicism, is all-consuming. Delicious and lip-smacking but with a huge warning sign saying, ‘do not approach’, it is still easy to appreciate the generosity of fruit underpinned by the immensity of the power in this landmark vintage of Haut-Bailly.
Deep, profound, and stunningly complex, the floral nose is welcoming, and it quickens the pulse, and then the palate stands tall and immovable, underlining the fact this is a genuine work of art with a long life ahead.
2016 Château La Conseillante, Pomerol
They only lost 2-3% of their crop in the rainy weather, but they work organically, so everything seemed to perform well. When the sun came out, the vineyard sprang into life. The old vines looked great but some of the younger vines needed to have their grapes chopped off to save the vines. During August, the vines shut down, and this means that the alcohol level is lower than normal, but the flavours are even more focused. Beautiful weight and structure, coupled with the epic purity and lift on the finish, make this a hedonistic and extraordinary La Conseillante. Extremely well made and packed with finesse and charm, this is a near-perfect creation. They employ 100% cold pre-fermentation maceration and pre-rinse the barrels to soften the impact of the new oak, and these details have really paid off. They adjusted the Cabernet Franc percentage from 15% to 20% by taking a little from the second wine, Duo, and this has helped the aromas and the acidity perfectly. At La Conseillante, this was known as the wow blend, and it certainly made me say the same word when I tasted it. This is the finest young La Conseillante I have ever had the pleasure of tasting, and winemaker Marielle Cazaux and her team should take a bow!
Goodness me, this is shockingly stunningly beautiful from the very first second. With so much amplitude of flavour, matched by grace and intricate fruit, this is one of the finest wines of the vintage, and it needs another five years minimum before even thinking of opening a bottle.
2016 Château Troplong Mondot, Saint-Emilion
By golly, this is a stunning wine with one of the highest alcohols of the vintage (15%). Utterly spellbinding, it is an incredible wine with succulence and sheer deliciousness in every molecule. The oak is staggeringly plush, as are the tannins, which roll and roll. I cannot get over the nose, though, which is one of the most arresting of the year.
Rich and heady, this is a flamboyant wine with a head-turning perfume and an amazingly succulent palate. You could crack on because it seems so approachable, but this would be an error because there is so much more to discover with time.
2016 Château La Lagune, 3ème Cru Ludon, Haut-Médoc
Owner Caroline Frey and her team lost a few plots of vines because of the bad weather early in the season but the results for the rest of the property were incredible. This is a classically framed La Lagune with stunning balance. Nothing is too much or too little in any direction. With a bold nose featuring some wonderful coffee bean notes followed by deep, evocative mid-palate and a superbly suave finish, this is a grand wine. The overall feel is moreish and gustatory and yet no elements are showy or imposing. This is a very composed and honed La Lagune, and it provides us with a marvellous contrast to the rich, all-enveloping 2015.
Elegant, controlled and a true medium weight (by contrast to many of the super-rich wines), this is a thrilling wine with graceful fruit and refreshing tannins. It is virtually Burgundy-shaped such is the calmness and beauty on display.
2016 Château Léoville Barton, 2ème Cru Saint-Julien
With exactly the same statistics and the same blend as the 2015 vintage, you could not have imagined two such different wines. The nose is more open, and the palate is more focused and closed than the 2015 (Lilian Sartorious always shows the last two vintages at her tastings). It was amazing how contrasting these wines are, and, of course, the weather is the reason. In 2016, this wine is elongated and slightly less exuberant, but it is also seemingly fruitier and more expressive. The oak is very sexy, with cinnamon touches overlaying the sleek cassis fruit. Which vintage do I prefer – I think that the 2016 has the edge.
Classy, complex and controlled, there is exuberant fruit here, but it is very calmly delivered, and this measured flavour ensures that the length of the finish is prodigious. This is one of the most memorable Bartons in the last decade (and there are a number to choose from)!
2016 Château Beychevelle, 4ème Cru Saint-Julien
There is a dark, tea-like perfume at the core of this wine, and it is incredibly attractive. The richness and power of carefully macerated berries on the nose never oversteps the mark, and the summer sunshine is evident at the same time as the cool nights, too, in the restraint and finesse throughout. The finish is long and spicy, and it props up the oak perfectly while hinting at the superb condition of the fruit at harvest. Exotic and floral, this wine will be slow to soften, but when it does, it will be a real eye-opener, and it is another massive performance for this impressive estate.
Amazingly forward and open, this is a flattering wine, and it has an amazingly silky texture with barely any tannin on the finish. Of course, there are tannins buried in the core, which will send this wine down the track for two more decades, but they do not interfere with the enjoyment of Beychevelle right now.
2016 Château Branaire-Ducru, 4ème Cru Saint-Julien
A brilliant Branaire and one of the most shocking and memorable wines of the week, this wine has stunning aromatics and a huge finish. This is a triumph for this estate, and I love the way it gives the illusion of being a richer wine, but it is a focused, epically balanced creation. The nose is heroic, and this alone warrants a huge score. That the finish is also sublime makes this one of the hidden gems of the Left Bank in 2016.
Heavens above, Branaire looks incredible. Super-complex, gorgeously ripe, mellifluous, and thrillingly long, this is a superstar, and it is wicked value, too. This was always a great wine, but it has gathered intensity and complexity, making it unmissable!
2016 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, 2ème Cru Saint-Julien
Ducru has a magnificent nose with layers of fruit, and there is some wonderful density here with admirable focus. The tannins are bright, and they lift the wine superbly. The tone is not quite as dark as the Pauillacs, and it is also more red-fruited despite the high Cabernet Sauvignon percentage, and yet this is a more sensual style. Lovely and pure, this is a more forward wine than many, but it will also keep for a long time because the tannins are so refined.
This is a classic Ducru – statesmanlike, powerful, intricate, and unyielding. The nose is closed, and the palate is still firm, but a peek behind the curtain reveals a treasure chest of gorgeous fruit layered with wondrous oak. This will be a colossus in time, but be in no hurry to open a bottle because it needs another decade to blossom.
2016 Château Léoville Poyferré, 2ème Cru Saint-Julien
A stunning wine made from a ‘sunny vintage with cold nights’, Didier Cuvelier also explained that ‘2016 is like 2005 and 2010, but different. I love this description because it is spot-on in so many ways. This is a suave Poyferré with epic tannins and masses of life. The counterbalance between freshness and intensity is thrilling, and the fruit is briary and lively and not stewed or porty. Amazing throughout, this is a succulent, refreshing, focused and dynamic wine. Didier finished by saying that 2016 was a ‘miracle vintage because the rains filled the water table, missed flowering and refreshed the vines before harvest’. A miracle indeed.
This is one of the truly great Poyferrés, with exotic fruit and a mighty finish. It is not as rich or muscular as some of the Left Bank heroes, making this a wine for the medium to long term rather than a straightforward long-term candidate. Make a note to have a look in 2030, and this should reveal a wine that is in full control and ready to impress.
2016 Château Rauzan-Ségla, 2ème Cru Margaux
An evocative nose of crème de mure is followed by a beautiful, fully inflated palate that stays aloft for minutes. This is a lovely wine, oaky and rich but balanced and impressive. There are also complex flavours here that unravel in the glass. This is a superb Rauzan-Ségla.
A classic Rauzan-Ségla, built from stern ingredients and a forest of mighty oak, this is a super-exotic wine with immense flair and pizzaz, and it will only gather momentum and style with more time under its belt. This is another wine that offers incredible value for money.
2016 Château Cos d’Estournel, 2ème Cru Saint-Estèphe
The nose here is stunning, with clear, bright perfume and exceptional direction. The energy and impact of the fruit are very impressive, and while it is closed and tart, the length is amazing. There was some ‘blockage’ in the summer, and when the leaves shut down, this had the effect of decreasing the overall power and alcohol of this wine. In addition, the cold, clay soils also helped to temper the dry conditions and the heat. The tannins are tasty, long and savoury, and they lengthen the experience. There is a possibility that they will alter the length of time that this wine spends in oak according to its flavour, but they are not sure yet. Either way, this is a slender, long and fascinating wine, and I am happy to suggest that it will fatten up with time and possess the magical qualities of a long-lived wine.
A stunning and remarkably calm Cos, this 2016 is one of the most detailed and reflective vintages from this legendary Château and it is travelling beautifully. One might expect this to be a powerful, structured wine, but it is breathtakingly beautiful and finely honed!
2016 Château Lafite Rothschild, 1er Cru Pauillac
This is a very exciting Lafite with buoyant, ripe fruit and a lovely density of flavour without being heavy. It is a superb Lafite that breaks away from some of the introverted recent vintages and embraces a more forward-facing, engaging style with a profound core balanced with a shinier, more exuberant veneer. Delicious.
Elegance personified, this is a gloriously refined Lafite vintage, and it will quietly stroll down the years and most likely make it to its fiftieth without a care in the world. Intricate, finely woven and perfectly balanced, this is a benchmark Lafite.
2016 Château Pontet-Canet, 5ème Cru Pauillac
The yield was 34 hl/ha. – and this is one hl/ha. over the average over the last ten years, too, and there is no green harvest here either – making it possibly unique in Bordeaux. This is an exceedingly rich and decadent Pontet-Canet on the nose, and there is masses of power and amplitude on the palate, too. The fruit is dense, bold, layered, and sophisticated, and the class and breeding are very plain to see. This is a staggering tour de force for this Château. The balance between modern fruit intensity and fascinating antique flavours is unique.
Wow, while some of the wines are pristine examples of just how pure and controlled Bordeaux can be in a great vintage, Pontet-Canet is explosive, massively expressive and flamboyant. This is such an exciting wine; you cannot fail to be moved by the spectacular fruit and delivery here. This 2016 is one of the greatest P-Cs of all time.
2016 Château Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande, 2ème Cru Pauillac
This wine has a profound aroma with focussed flavours, once again, coming from very small berries. Honed, dusty tannins mark the finish, and this underlines the fact that this is a wine which will age well. The Merlot makes itself heard in the blend with some red highlights, which differentiate it from the other top Pauillacs, and overall, this is an impressive wine loaded with class and integrity. Winemaker Nicolas Glumineau compares it to the 1996 vintage, and, by chance, I tasted that wine during the En Primeur week, and I must concur!
This is a quiet wine and one that does not jump up and down on the palate, craving attention. Instead, it sets about its task with stealth and sensational impact. This is one of those wines that you must taste twice – the first time, you get a sighter. The second sip reminds you just how graceful and finely assembled Lalande can be.
2016 Château Lynch Bages, 5ème Cru Pauillac
With an unprecedented level of tannin and polyphenols (95 IPT), you might expect this to be a shockingly memorable wine. If you then consider the slender alcohol level, you might think that there is a typo in these notes, but no. These statistics might seem at odds with each other, but I am delighted to say that the flavour is utterly mesmerising. Dark, looming, with black olive sourness and espresso power, this is a heroic Lynch-Bages with a gymnastic power-to-weight ratio. The fruit is thrilling, too. It will live for forty years as if it were a day. This is one of the most arresting wines of the vintage.
I almost needed to sit down to taste this wine. It is so structured and powerful that it takes my breath away. Built for the ultra-long haul, this is a truly titanic wine with spectacular potential and a mighty finish.
2016 Château Pichon Baron, 2ème Cru Pauillac
Very dense and firm but not overly tannic, this is a super-cassis vintage for Pichon Baron, with gentle extraction really benefiting this wine. Long, fresh and calm, this is a wine that is built on slightly smaller Cabernet berries than normal, thanks to the hot summer, and this gives it a very dark, smooth vortex of fruit at its core. The result is a wine which I feel will sit side by side with the 2015 in years to come showing two fascinating vintages with equal flair and integrity.
Glorious, this is one of the finest Barons I have ever tasted. It was the last wine in the 60-strong line-up, and yet it was one of the wines I remembered most clearly days later. This is another wine that needs another decade, even though it already looks so enticing. I know there is so much more potential buried deep in the core of this majestic wine.