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Posts Tagged ‘Bordeaux 2014’

Bordeaux 2014: Château Haut-Bailly

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

IMG_6869Château Haut-Bailly occupies a terrific position across a verdant hilltop looking back toward Léognan. It is a beautiful spot, almost completely rural and yet little more than ten minutes drive from the outskirts of Bordeaux. Clearly the property is in excellent shape and the vineyards beautifully manicured. There is also a reassuring air of modesty about the place. This authenticity comes across in the wines, which are very good here in 2014. Haut-Bailly has aromatic purity, genuine substance and definition. All the elements are held in proportion. Alongside the ripeness lent by the Indian summer is 2014’s attractive freshness, the memory of cool months of July and August. It adds energy and vigour to the wine. I also had the opportunity to taste the 2005 Haut-Bailly on my visit in April. This is just hitting its stride. Strong and deep, the wine shows considerable complexity. It will doubtless improve over the next decade and easily keep for another after that.

Bordeaux 2014: Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

IMG_6845Château Smith Haut Lafitte is one of the most impressive set-ups in Bordeaux. The terroir in Pessac-Léognan is fabulous; the vines immediately surrounding the property are beautifully mature; the cellar is state of the art and eco-friendly. In my experience, the past half dozen vintages here, both red and white, are qualitatively at the very highest level. This is true once again in 2014. Throw in the smart hotel that adjoins the property, with its spa and two Michelin star restaurant and it adds up to a level of sophistication and consumer awareness that would turn the owner of even the most ambitious Napa Valley boutique operation green with envy. And as for Bordeaux, it puts almost all of the grand crus classés to shame.

Bordeaux 2014: Château Haut-Brion & Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

IMG_6800There is no doubt that Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion occupy two of Bordeaux’s most remarkable vineyard spots. Situated in what has become the urban sprawl of Pessac, divided between a busy main road, these two properties, Haut-Brion to one side, La Mission on the other, and the gnarled, muscular vines that surround them, are somewhat at odds in the hum drum modern setting, testament to another time and five hundred years of history. The white wines here in 2014 are sublime, for me as good as any of the great years. They represent the very heights to which dry white wine can aspire. The reds are fresh and lively, akin to 2008 but with perhaps with a little more weight.

Bordeaux 2014: Château L’Evangile

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

20080824-IMG_5189-resizeChâteau L’Evangile has produced a plummy, attractive Pomerol with balance and delicacy in 2014. Following an early start to the growing season with good flowering, the wet and cooler weather during the summer months, necessitated much work in the vines. Vine ripening occurred in two periods, late July and then again after mid-August so there were sometimes differences in ripeness between bunches on the same vine. Care was needed at harvest and in selection therefore. Here, as elsewhere, the fabulous weather in September and October, allowed more control than in previous vintages in terms of picking dates. It allowed for the harvesting of fruit at full ripeness, but also with the freshness that speaks of the cooler summer.

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