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.

It’s taken me a while to post these notes on seventy-three wines from the MW Institute’s horizontal 2016 Bordeaux tasting held at the very end of 2021. Looking back on the notes I’m reminded quite what a unique vintage this is. In a decade with at least three other contenders to greatness [2010, 2018 and 2019 – with 2015 also very good] what really impresses in 2016 is the breadth of quality across all Bordeaux’s red appellations and the balance in the wines. They have ripe fruit, juicy acidities and great textures. They are extremely moreish. There’s not the over-extraction that was more common in 2010, nor the exaggerated ripeness of some 2018s, nor the hefty alcohols you can find in the 2019s [though ’19 is a truly wonderful vintage]. Many of these ’16s are well under 14% [with exceptions in St Emilion and Pomerol]. It makes this a Bordeaux vintage to drink without fearing a blinding headache. That said many of the wines have retreated into their shells a fair bit since bottling. You will want to wait to broach wine from Pauillac, St Julien and definitely St Estèphe. Many in St Emilion and Pomerol are now starting to drink well, along with the top wines from Pessac-Léognan. Still there’s no hurry at all really as these wines are so well balanced and fresh. So, what were picks of the MW tasting?

In 2016 Pauillac has had the most collectively exciting vintage vintage since 2010. The texture of the tannin is remarkable and the balance is incredibly appealing. I’d go as far to say that, on the basis of the wines I tasted, this is my favourite vintage here since 2009. It has some of the qualities of 2005 and 2000 but the tannin feels more supple than both of those vintages to me [and tannin management has come a long way in the last ten to fifteen vintages]. My only caveat is that, owing to a shortage of time I missed out on tasting some old favourites including Château Batailley, Château Haut-Batailley, Château Lynch Bages, Château Pichon Longueville and Château Pichon Lalande. I hope to taste these wines in the not too distant future and will update this post when I do. In the meantime, here are my notes on fifteen wines from Pauillac in 2016. It includes notes on  all the first growths and Château Pontet Canet.

A great set of Pauillacs have emerged from the Domaine Baron Philippe de Rothschild stable in 2016. This is a perfect vintage for these terroirs. Château d’Armailhac may have produced its most balanced and refined wine yet. It vies with 2009 and 2010 here. This is true also of Château Clerc-Milon which has probably made its best wine since the very impressive 2010. Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild is just as seductive as the precocious 2012. Great stuff! And what of Château Mouton-Rothschild itself? Technically it has more tannin than 2010 but you wouldn’t notice, such is the silky texture here this year. The wine has the most remarkable depth and balance. It must surely go down as one of the great Moutons.