Wine Words & Video Tape

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Posts Tagged ‘St Emilion’

Bordeaux 2017: Primeurs Day 2

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

My second day tasting Bordeaux 2017 started in bright sunshine at Château Haut Bailly. The purity of the wine in the past few vintages here has been unsurpassed and their terroir in Pessac-Léognan is wonderful. Frost took out a plot from production but there is finesse and elegance to this 2017. Ten minutes away, in contrasting but equally beautiful terroir, Château Smith Haut Lafitte has delivered the goods once again. The whites are brilliant, showing what a great vintage 2017 is here potentially for white wine. The reds are plump, and very well-upholstered with plenty of fruit and freshness. Excellent stuff. At Château La Mission Haut-Brion the remarkable quality of the whites was again underscored. Château La Mission Haut Brion Blanc and Château Haut-Brion Blanc are fabulous – though they never put a foot wrong with the whites mind. The reds are impressive, combining of the structure and fruit of 2014 perhaps with the freshness of 2008. La Mission is more approachable than usual in 2017 and Haut-Brion felt the fractionally deeper of the two. Both show wonderful purity.

Bordeaux 2016: St Emilion

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

Top to bottom, St Emilion has had an excellent vintage in 2016. Qualitatively it is the equal of 2015, but differs stylistically. There is a lot of that bright, beautiful fruit that characterized ’15, but there is more grip, freshness and texture this year. It all makes for an appetising vintage for aficionados of St Emilion. Prices are up – quelle surprise! And if you are unfortunate enough to reside in the UK then the Brexit fiasco has made things pricier still. Still if you’ve the spare cash, this is a vintage to consider. There are a great many St Emilion Grand Cru which are really excellent and the quality of the Grand Cru Classé and the Premier Grand Cru Classé [though very pricey] are extremely impressive. Overall this is an exciting and homogenous vintage. There’s decent quantity available too.

Bordeaux 2016: Château Angélus

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

Hubert de Boüard is understandably delighted by the quality of the wine at Château Angélus in 2016. It is remarkable St Emilion that rivals the prodigious 2015. With price up 16% [33% in Sterling terms] on the ’15 the de Boüards clearly think they have something even better on their hands. Yet it is the quality of the other wines here that dazzled particularly this year. Carillon d’Angélus is no slouch. It is nicely layered with wonderfully refined tannins. Château Bellevue showed brilliantly. It has lots of beautiful perfumed fruit and a great texture. Château Daugay is enticing and open. It is all satin and black cherry tones currently. Château Roc de Boisseaux comes fully loaded with black fruits and is lots of fun. 2016 looks impressive across the range here.

Bordeaux 2016: Berliquet, Larcis Ducasse, Beauséjour & Pavie Macquin

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

Nicolas Thienpont and his team including consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt have produced brilliant St Emilion in the 2016 vintage. The wines show depth and vitality. The aromas are fresh and pure, the fruit glossy and the balance harmonious. Château Berliquet continues its qualitative march ahead with another textured and attractive wine. There is minerality here too. Château Larcis Ducasse is seductive. The fruit tones are delicious. The depth is impressive and the balance is Burgundian. Château Beauséjour is an unadorned beauty. The purity of the fruit is exceptional. Château Pavie Macquin looks to be one of the most impressive efforts here yet. This is strong wine. The power and structure are balanced by freshness, appealing texture and perfectly ripe tannins. 2016 taken together with 2015 and 2014 completes a trio of excellent back-to-back vintages at these properties.

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