At last a vintage for the new management at Château Cos d’Estournel to sink their teeth into. If 2014 seriously favours the left bank, then it is in St Estèphe that some of the very best wines have been produced. Cos is right up there with these. It is an extremely polished and wonderfully proportioned grand vin in 2014. It is very impressive stuff and shows genuine freshness. Les Pagodes de Cos is also an extremely layered offering, displaying lots of delicious black cherry fruit. Cos blanc, made from vineyards up the coast close to the Médoc, seriously impressed in 2013, but 2014 trumps even this. It easily ranks alongside many of the great Pessac-Léognan whites this year.

2014 looks to be a strong vintage in Pauillac. I’ve already reported on the outstanding wines from Château Latour, Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château Pichon-Lalande, Château Duhart-Milon, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Château Pontet-Canet. At the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux event held at Château Lynch-Moussas [pictured], Château Lynch-Bages and Château Pichon Longueville were equally impressive, while Château Batailley was extremely fine. Good wines have been made at Château d’Armailhac, Château Clerc Milon and Château Grand-Puy Ducasse.

Bold and concentrated wines have been made at Château Latour in 2014. They are fresh and vivid. There is a sense to me that these are long-term wines that have elegance and proportionality. Les Forts was more closed on the day than the grand vin which looks very impressive. We won’t see any of these wines for years, however, as the property has pulled out of the en primeur system. It now only releases wines when they are ready to drink. Currently it is the knock-out 2003 Latour, the famous Parker hundred pointer, that is on offer. This is brilliant stuff, even when tasted at nine in the morning. It has bags of life, fruit and sweet ripe tannin. It shrieks out for rib of beef. Also released are 2008 Les Forts de Latour and the 2011 Pauillac de Latour.

I was very struck by the strong blackcurrant cassis aromatics of Château Lafite-Rothschild in 2014. It was incredibly expressive, almost sublimated in style and extremely ripe. It felt like it will count amongst the great years of Lafite, yet it weights in at just 12.6 degrees alcohol. Château Duhart-Milon looks very strong in 2014. It possesses Lafite-like focus and concentration. Carruades de Lafite was also expressive and plump, showing a lot of juicy Merlot fruit alongside ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. All in all this this feels the most exciting vintage for these wines since 2009 and 2010 and light years from the difficult 2013 vintage.