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Bordeaux Primeurs 2013: Château Cos d’Estournel

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

IMG_5626Aymeric de Gironde summed up the 2013 vintage perfectly: ‘Normally we make wine to make money, this year you needed money to make wine.’ Production at Château Cos d’Estournel was 50% down, a combination of reduced yields through poor flowering and strict selection at harvest. The grand vin is a bright, fresh effort with pleasing aromatics and a lightness of touch that speaks of the vintage. Pagodes de Cos has a salty mineral tang and attractive vibrancy. Neither are weighty St Estèphe. Cos Blanc is wonderful. A bit like Aile d’Argent at Mouton, it’s the supporting actor here that walks off with the Oscar.

Bordeaux Primeurs 2013: Pauillac

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

IMG_5699Pauillac in 2013 reminds me of a lesser version 2011. Sound like faint praise? Given the extremely challenging vintage conditions this is a success. There are some very good wines here; some are good values too. Others are a little compact and there is a degree of austerity to a few. Partly this is because of the increased percentages [even for Pauillac] of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blends, partly perhaps also because of less than fully ripe tannin, partly too the combined affect of very fresh acids this year, more so than 2011, 2008 and 2007, the vintages to which 2013 has been already been compared.

Bordeaux Primeurs 2013: Château Latour

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

Maybe Château LatourIMG_5694 has the edge over Lafite and Mouton in 2013 amongst the first growths. As the property has opted out of the en primeur system the wine is not available for sale, but the samples shown by the estate this April looked composed, linear on the palate and correct. The freshness and elegance of 2013 comes through, and while alcohols are comparatively low, there seems a fraction more substance and density here than at the other Pauillac properties. I’ll report in more detail on the current offerings of the château in a later post: 2004 Latour, 2006 Les Forts and 2008 Pauillac.

Bordeaux Primeurs 2013: Château Pontet-Canet

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

IMG_5702Respect for the vineyard and terroir perhaps reaches its apex at Château Pontet-Canet, the large Pauillac estate that lies just across from Mouton-Rothschild. The first Bordeaux great growth to become fully biodynamic – the holistic philosophy that seeks long-term balance in the vineyard and the cellar – the approach has undoubtedly allowed Pontet-Canet to take on an increasingly pure, beautiful expression, reminiscent of the very finest grand cru Burgundy. These are the qualities that spring to mind when tasting their 2013.

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