More variation here in Lalande de Pomerol than in Fronsac in 2012. At the top end I was especially impressive with Domaine des Sabines, La Fleur de Boüard and their succulent ‘Le Plus’ and Chateau Grand Ormeau. In the fresh and vivid style Chateau de Viaud and Chateau Siaurac also looked good.

This morning’s release of Mouton-Rothschild at £1400 [$2100] per six has led me to shunt this particular review up the batting order. The price, 33% down on 2011, will be sure to send the cat amongst the pigeons and is something of a relief given concern about Bordeaux pricing. I’ll be following soon in more detail about Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and Chateau Latour, as well as the other Pauillac chateaux, following the continuation of my Right Bank coverage.

Good values to be had here in 2012 I expect. Most of the wines were tasted blind at Cercle de Rive Droite at Chateau Barde-Haut [an extremely well organized event] with a few others tasted elsewhere. The best Côtes de Bordeaux showed attractive fruit and good purity. They range in style from the forward and appetising, to really serious efforts with lots of style and verve. In this latter category Stephan von Niepperg’s Chateau d’Aiguilhe and Nicolas Thienpont’s Chateau Alcée in Castillon stand out as especially beautiful wines. I’ve also included notes on Domaine Virginie Thunevin, owned by Jean-Luc Thunevin’s daughter, but vinified by Thunevin himself. It’s delicious.

Even in the most consistent year a Bordeaux vintage is complex. 2012 is far from a consistent year. Poor weather caused uneven flowering at the start of the growing cycle, this led to great variation in ripening, and after what eventually proved a hot and dry summer, vintage rain caused difficulties. It’s a vintage that is heterogeneous in a great many places, especially on the Left Bank. One thing is not in any doubt, however. The vintage has produced Merlot of considerable beauty and it is the quality of this variety that stuck in the mind during Primeurs week.