Of the eleven wines from Pauillac shown by the MW Institute, four were absolutely stunning and amongst the best tasted on the day. One of these was Château Mouton Rothschild. No surprise there. The others where Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Château Lynch Bages and the Pichons – Château Pichon Baron and Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Evidently these have all produced wines of first growth quality in 2016. On the day Château Pontet Canet, though impressive, felt slightly less fresh than the others. Amongst the rest, Château Batailley and Château Clerc Milon are very good though both felt backward. Château Lynch Moussas and Château Grand Puy-Ducasse have also produced good wines.

No surprise given what I’ve posted on St Julien in 2019, but Pauillac too has crept into its shell following élevage and bottling. These are strong wines in this excellent vintage, with plenty of extract, alcohol and acidity. Again many will need a decade before they bloom but all the elements are there for a set of classical yet powerful Pauillacs. Of those shown by the UGCB, top of the tree is a monumental effort from Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. This was breathtaking from cask and it continues to show spectacularly well in bottle. Château Pichon Baron is not at all far behind and displays wonderfully pure blackcurrant aromatics.  Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a beauty, almost seductive in the company of the other properties, and continues to show what a great value wine ‘GPL’ is. Château Batailley‘s 2019 is glossy and intense, chalking up another success at this ever improving estate.

Alongside St Julien, Pauillac is one of the most consistent appellations in Bordeaux. On the basis of the eleven shown by the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux [UGCB] in October, 2018 is an exciting vintage for Pauillac. The fruit is sweet; the tannins ripe and super soft. Oodles of blackcurrant fruit and cassis gives the taster the classic stamp of the commune but also obviously of a super ripe year. In some ways these 2018s reminded me of the 2009s at a similar stage. Ultimately I think the Pauillac 2019s that follow will pip this vintage in terms of freshness and overall sophistication but, nevertheless, the 2018s are excellent. The vintage has produced enjoyable wines here that will provide pleasure early on yet importantly have the fruit to last. No surprises in the top wines. For me Pichon Baron, Pichon Lalande, Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Lynch Bages lead the field, with Batailley up there too, continuing its excellent run of fine vintages in this past decade.

There is certainly a lot of freshness to the wines in Pauillac in 2017. This is not a generous vintage here for me though. There is a degree of austerity in this vintage, and some properties are decidedly on the angular side. The picks? An impressive wine has been made by Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. It stood out in the appellation at the UGCB tastings last autumn. I’ve scored the other leading properties slightly below GPL, including Château Duhart Milon, Château Lynch-Bages, Château Pichon Baron and Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. They have all made good wine but they must be seen as modest in relation to the quality of the wines made at these properties in 2015, 2016 and 2018. Château Batailley is also up there for quality, alongside Château Haut-Bages Libéral and both have made decent Pauillac. I was particularly disappointed by Château d’Armailhac and Château Clerc Milon to a lesser degree. Both lacked middle and felt on the austere side. Château Grand-Puy Ducasse also lacked flesh.