St Emilion is a large and diverse appellation. There are the well-known limestone côtes that surround the town of St Emilion where some of the finest properties lie, then there are the clay and clay limestone soils found various areas, the gravels [most notably around the Figeac sector] and sandier soils on the lower slopes of the appellation. Then there are variations in aspect, geography and winemaking too. 2019 is an excellent vintage in St Emilion. The wines are in various stages of development however [a result, in part, of the variations above]. Some have already opened up [maybe it’s just that they never closed down]. In this bunch are Château Cheval Blanc [heavenly], Château Canon La Gaffelière [plush], Château Larcis Ducasse [textured and plummy], Clos de L’Oratoire [super flattering] and Château Figeac [a serious beauty]. Others that are closed but can be coaxed out of the glass. In this group are Château Canon, Château Grand Corbin-Despagne, Château Troplong Mondot, Château Pavie Macquin and Château Trottevieille. A few hours in a decanter would do the trick. There are others that feel firmly shut, including several that were stellar during primeurs like Château Angélus and La Mondotte. These still need time.

A relatively small spread of 2018s were on show at the MW Institute back in late ’22. There is evidence that some of the wines shown were shutting down a little. This was certainly true of Château Angélus, Château Cheval Blanc and Château Fonplégade on the basis of the tasting. Château Troplong Mondot ’18 lies somewhere between its almost over-the-top past and a more elegant future. Under the tenure of Aymeric de Gironde since 2017 it now most definitely driven by the emphasis on finesse and poise, but this ’18 feels a little closer to the former than the latter. Château Figeac is clearly on a roll. The wines in recent vintages here have been breath-taking, but so too is the asking price these days. Domaine Dillon’s Château Quintus has yet to really grab me to be honest. On the showing at this tasting the wine was of almost Zinfandel-like portiness. The 15.5% alcohol is very noticeable.

There’s a fascinating on-going discussion to be had about any vintage. It’s a conversation that shifts as the wines develop and age, and how they start to compare with the other vintages that surround them. From the outset, 2016 was both spellbinding and consistent across all the appellations. This remains the case today. St Emilion has also produced a collection of beauties in this vintage comparable in quality to the other principal Bordeaux appellations. If they don’t have the sheer volume and alcohol of more recent successful vintages here [I’m thinking 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022] 2016 more importantly has finesse and it is the balance of these wines in this vintage that remains so striking. They are appetizing and superbly balanced in the main. The picks in the MW’s line up of St Emilions? Well, Château Angélus and Château Figeac really impressed but there were terrific efforts also from Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, Château Bellevue, Château Canon and Château Fonplégade. Château Cheval Blanc was focused and textured but a little subdued.  Château Belair-Monange had also retreated into its shell. Chateau Quintus and Château Troplong-Mondot were both bold and rich, the latter too much for me. I think it’s fair to say that this was probably the end of the old style of late-picked highly extracted efforts at Troplong-Mondot. New broom Aymeric de Gironde has brought in a fresher more appetizing style in recent vintages.

The joyride around Bordeaux 2016 culminated once again with some remarkable wines in the Haut-Médoc. These were led by Château Palmer, which in 2016 has produced a Margaux to rival last year’s beauty. Overall you would have thought that the dry and hot conditions would have been difficult on some of the gravelly and lighter soils in both Margaux and in Pessac-Léognan, the two key appellations in which I dedicated a large part of my final day tasting. While I did notice a little more variability (some jam/raisin qualities in a couple, over-extraction in others] I was generally very impressed with a great number of wines. Once again the aromatics, the fruit tones and seductive qualities of the tannins were remarkable at the top end. I also explored the Haut-Médoc appellation in some detail. There are a great many wines of interest here in 2016 for the consumer. The vintage appears to rival 2009 and 2010. Stylistically it is almost a hypothetical blend of those two vintages [perhaps with some 2014 thrown in], but with generally more moderate alcohol levels. Time will tell as to 2016s precise place in the pantheon, but it’s obviously a very exciting vintage. Still, dark Brexit clouds mean that this vintage will obviously be released into an uncertain and possibly very different future.