Pessac-Leognan

The 2016 Bordeaux vintage was nothing short of dramatic. For those tending the vines, it was a growing season shaped by an extraordinary mix of weather patterns which produced wines of remarkable balance and complexity. At the time, the oenologists echoed what many were feeling: “Bordeaux, by some miracle compared to many French wine regions, is preparing for an exceptional vintage.” Within the context of this historical pronouncement, and a surfeit of high critical scores dished out at En-primeur time, the only thing that can settle the status of this vintage once and for all is a “10 years on” tasting of bottled wines. Many thanks to Bordeaux Index for the opportunity to assess a phenomenal selection of top Chateaux wines.

A wet and cold winter set the stage for the 2016 vintage, with rainfall in the first six months of the growing season matching that of the entire previous year. Then, from mid-June to mid-August, the weather shifted dramatically, bringing a long, hot, and dry summer, followed by just 20mm of rain in early September. For many winemakers, that combination was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the dry heat during July and August was a worry – especially on gravelly soils or younger vines which struggled with water stress.

On the other hand, the soils that had stored the winter’s water, especially clay and limestone plots, proved their worth and sustained the vines throughout the drought. Then came a timely and gentle revival: light rains in mid-September, followed by a long Indian-summer stretch – warm days, cool nights, and slowed-down ripening.

Christian Seely from Pichon Baron and Veronique Sanders from Haut Bailly.

As a result, many of the top estates found themselves harvesting remarkably late, often stretching far into October, allowing grapes the time they needed for full phenolic maturity: deep colour, rich tannins, well concentrated flavours, but without excess alcohol or overripe jammy fruit. As Jacques Thienpont of Le Pin noted, it was the first time in the estate’s history that harvest didn’t begin until October. Overall, the vintage was characterised by a balance of fruit and high (but supremely ripe) tannins with fresh acidity and pleasingly moderate alcohol levels.

Many thanks to Bordeaux Index for the opportunity to assess a phenomenal selection of top Chateaux wines.

The 2016 Bordeaux Selection:

Chateau Cheval Blanc 2016, Saint Emilion

Lifted and perfumed. Silky and utterly sophisticated.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Ausone 2016, St Emilion

Dark tight and broody. More black berry intensity. Chiselled and fresh. Precise.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 2016, Pessac-Leognan

Red fruit, cedar, black berry. Earthy, Xmas spice. Class.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Haut Brion 2016, Pessac-Leognan

Rich, broad expansive aromatics. Black currant and graphite. Incredible depth. Very impressive.

(Wine Safari Score: 99+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Margaux 2016, Margaux

Fragrant cassis and saline black fruits. Silky, precise and fine grained.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2016, Pauillac

More savoury and brûléed. Dense and powerful with beautifully chalky tannins. A classic Mouton.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 2016, Pauillac

Red and black berry fruits, exotic lifted perfume. Silky soft, pristine and very persistent.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Latour 2016, Pauillac

Complex salty cassis, oyster shell, graphite with a dense seamless palate, impressive power with phenomenal finesse. Bold wine. As close to perfection as possible.

(Wine Safari Score: 100/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Le Pin 2016, Pomerol

Mint chocolate chip, black berry and damson plum. Sweet fruited, generous palate and beautifully exotic.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Lafleur 2016, Pomerol

Beautifully exotic and complex, but also intricate. Brûléed, dark berries, salted cassis with a long luxurious creamy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Petrus 2016, Pomerol

Dense, creamy and delicately lactic with chocolate praline notes, pithy graphite tannins and a cool finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Angelus 2016, Saint Emilion

Deep dense ripe black fruits, cassis, sapidity, full and powerful. Opulent and accessible.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Belair Monange 2016, Saint Emilion

Smoky chalky nose, graphite and black currant compote. Dense and compact power. Very smart.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Canon 2016, Saint Emilion

Graphite, black currant, sleek, silky, sophisticated. Superb.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Canon La Gafaliere 2016, Saint Emilion

Dark, spicy, picante intense fruit, raisined cherries and a chalky finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Figeac 2016, Saint Emilion

Fabulous oak – fruit integration. Complex and classy. Very silky and complete. Sensational.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Clos Fourtet 2016, Saint Emilion

Deep, dark and broody. Spicy mineral tannins, graphite hints and plenty of limestone grip.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau L’IF 2016, Saint Emilion

Touch stewed, raisined black berries. Fleshy, ripe expression. Exuberant.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Gaffeliere 2016, Saint Emilion

Rich and textured. Plenty of ripeness and power. Black fruits are slightly raisined on the finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Mondotte 2016, Saint Emilion

Warm toasty aromatics, plush and creamy, full throttle but beautifully fresh. A great success.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Pavie 2016, Saint Emilion

Dense and dark, packed with blue and black berry fruits. Chewy tannins, dry grippy limestone length. Serious.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Pavie Macquin 2016, Saint Emilion

Dusty limestone, liquor and creme de cassis. Cool and supple, elegant and vibrant. This is classy.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Quintus 2016, Saint Emilion

Earthy savoury black fruits. Polished but slightly baked black berry compote style on the finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Troplong Mondot, Saint Emilion, 15.5% Abv.

Broody black fruited nose, the palate silky, tangy and super vibrant. Very seductive.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Valandraud 2016, Saint Emilion

Earthy savoury black fruits. Dense, mineral grip. Slightly austere on the finish. But classical power.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Conseillante 2016, Pomerol

Brûléed, exotic enticing nose. Creamy and cool, packed with blue and purple fruits. Simply sensational.

(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau L’Evangile 2016, Pomerol

Silky, opulent and utterly seductive! Very polished example.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Lafleur-Gazin 2016, Pomerol

Ripe savoury black berry fruits, pithy, ripe. Chiselled tannins.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Hosanna 2016, Pomerol

Salty, picante black berry fruits. Oyster shell, cassis and a long creamy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Fleur-Petrus 2016, Pomerol

Graphite, wood smoke and creasote on the nose. Broad creamy palate with polished tannins, silky drying finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Trotanoy 2016, Pomerol

Broody black currant fruits, creamy and mineral. Power packed. Wow.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Violette 2016, Pomerol

Blue black fruits, effortless concentration, light and airy but still substantial.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Clinet 2016, Pomerol

Silky, complex, very complete wine. Cool and mineral. Textured but such class!

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vieux Chateau Certan, Pomerol, 14.5% Abv.

Juicy red and black berry fruits, graphite, limestone and mineral lift. Dense, creamy and very classy.

(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Haut-Bailly 2016, Pessac-Leognan

Lovely melange of savoury earth and black berry. Compact, dense, silky but plenty of power.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion 2016, Pessac-Leognan

Intricate, perfumed and exotic, very enticing. Compact but sleek. Silky tannins, fresh and elegant. True class.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2016, Pessac-Leognan

Savoury, truffle, exotic and complex. Creamy and intense.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Domaine de Chevalier 2016, Pessac-Leognan

Ripe red berry fruits, graphite and limestone, densely textured, compact and true class. Wow.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

La Chapelle de La Mission Haut Brion 2016, Pessac-Leognan

Earth, truffle, savoury black fruits. Fabulous creamy depth, intricate acids, and true class.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Clarence de Chateau Haut Brion, 13.5% Abv.

Supple, silky and soft, plenty of earthy minerality, with a taut grippy finish. Punches way above its price point.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau D’Issan 2016, Margaux

Plenty of brûléed black fruit, creamy tannins and earthy black currant compote finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Palmer 2016, Margaux

Cool, pure black fruits, impressive intensity and length. Very elegant with underlying power.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Leoville Barton 2016, Saint Julien

A dense, compact wine with impressive depth and power, tantalisingly structured for the long haul. Yes please!

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Pontet-Canet 2016, Pauillac

This is super juicy, vibrant and textured with a tangy acidity, fabulous saline crème de cassis depth. Really lovely opulence.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Les Forts de Latour 2016, Pauillac

Complex layered wine with tilled earth, black berries and wet tobacco. Super serious.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Carruades de Lafite 2016, Pauillac

Medium weight, elegant and silky with black currant, damson plum and black cherry depth.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Le Petit Mouton 2016, Pauillac

Creamy black fruited depth, graphite, tilled earth with delicate mint and milk chocolate nuances.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Pichon Baron 2016, Pauillac

Dense, compact, powerful expression full of earthy black berry fruit, sweet tannins. graphite and cedar spice. Plenty of stuffing for the long haul.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

FOR MORE INFORMATION… contact Bordeaux Index Private Client Sales: Ellie.Roberts@bordeauxindex.com

In 1682, the Lazarist Fathers, a community founded by Saint Vincent de Paul, received the La Mission Haut Brion estate as a legacy from Madame Olive de Lestonnac and over the centuries has been owned by a number of illustrious families, the last being the current owners Domaine Clarence Dillon who purchased the property in 1983. For most of this time, La Mission Haut Brion has been producing exceptional red and white wines from their highly prized Pessac-Leognan terroir.

Graves is the large red and white wine region located to the southeast of the city of Bordeaux along the Garonne River. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the red wines from the area, while the whites are mixtures of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The most important area within the Graves is the village of Pessac-Leognan. Most of the great chateaux, including Haut Brion, a premier cru and the only wine outside of the Medoc to be included in the 1855 Classification, are located in this small appellation. Graves derives its name from the rocky, stony terrain of the region and many people believe that the stony soil radiates the day’s heat at night and thus makes the grapes ripen earlier than some of the other regions in Bordeaux.

This is the first time I have revisited this wine since I tasted it En-primeur at the chateau in 2015. More importantly for me, it was one of the few wines from the 2014 vintage that I purchased a case of for myself at the time. So there was of course an added interest to crack a bottle and assess the contents. With critical scores ranging from 88/100 to 94/100 for this specific wine, I really had no idea what to expect.

La Chapelle de La Mission-Haut-Brion 2014, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, 14 Abv.

This opulent second wine of Chateau La Mission Haut Brion is a blend of 45% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and incorporates 8% of press wine. Impressively deep and dark in colour suggesting this wine has concentration and adequate extraction to add a bit of extra second wine muscle. With now 5 years of age from vintage, the aromatics are still seductively scent laden with lifted notes of fresh violets, cherry blossom, crushed blackberries, blueberries, Christmas cinnamon stick and freshly sawn cedar suggesting a fine degree of fruit ripeness without being outlandish, with all hints of crushed leaves and sappy spice notes dissipating as the black forest fruits envelope the nose with a complex brambly fragrance. The palate is also wonderfully generous and sweet fruited with a medium bodied weighting, fine sleek polished tannins and a most comforting melange of black currant, bramble berries, black cherry and salty black licorice. There is a satisfying hint of sweet tobacco, subtle layers of freshly tilled earth in true Graves style but also a pronounced mineral classism enhanced by vibrant fresh acids. A very pretty, distinguished second wine expression that is showing fine drinkability already but no doubt will be even more complex and exponentially more enjoyable with another 5 to 8+ years of additional bottle ageing. I really liked this wine in barrel and I love it more so now.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW