Wine ChroniclesGraves in red and white #Bdx17
Posted on May 18, 2018
Some very fine reds, some even finer whites
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
18 May 2018
For your mid May weekend reading, my notes on barrel samples – red and white – of Bordeaux’s famous Graves region. They are Left Bank, but to the south of the Médoc.
In the Pessac area, it was generally warmer – and generally better for 2017, as grapes ripened more easily in the somewhat sunless (albeit generally dry) summer. And – at the precocious terroirs of Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion – the Merlots were mostly harvested before the September rains fell: quite an advantage, as you will read.
A few wines here count among the best of 2017. A few others, such as Château de Fieuzal, were absent due to frost.
Any wine fan should sympathize with the owners, and hope that 2018 will be great, especially for them. Many producers had to avoid selecting grapes from frost-struck vines. So quality varied as expected… I am sorry to have missed Château Les Carmes Haut Brion, which apparently counts among the best of the reds, according to many people who tasted it.
Generally speaking, I was more impressed by the whites, which were very good to excellent.
Most all wines reviewed here come from the northern Graves appellation of Pessac-Léognan.
Without further ado, wines in bold, I liked in particular. Those red and bold, even more. And if underlined, too, a kind of barrel tasting nirvana. Please recall that these are barrel samples. Final notes can come with more confidence once the wines are in bottle and sold as final products… Read More
#Bdx17 from barrel: The Médoc, part I
Posted on May 16, 2018
Pauillac – Saint Julien – Saint Estèphe
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
17 May 2018
As said in previous reports, Bordeaux 2017 is hard to categorize. Despite attempts at “buzz” from collective critical scores on the likes of Wine Lister, and merchants hyping the latest priced barrel issue, it is not exactly 10 hours of crickets chirping, but it is not a mad rush to buy, either.
Given recent releases, I wonder sometimes if châteaux so far are getting prices “right”. The dollar may be stronger now, sure, but so far prices have not gone down to 2014 levels: that’s where many merchants (logically) expect them to be. Sure, some estates made great wine in 2017. But overall, this is a vintage that calls for careful pricing.
As one influential merchant from the U.S. told me this month: “I am not taking orders from Bordeaux negociants, but taking orders from clients and then – based on those orders – buying from Bordeaux,” he said. “This is not 2015 or 2016.”
Whatever the case may be, here some of my reflections on three exciting appellations from the northern Médoc. The Médoc, part I thus covers Pauillac, Saint Julien and Saint Estèphe. Part II covers the Moulis, Listrac and Haut Médoc appellations. Part III will cover Margaux. So stay tuned …
Pauillac
Like other parts of the Médoc, properties with higher terroirs, closer to the river and with heat retaining gravel tended to do best in 2017. They had less or zero frost problems and ripened grapes better given the somewhat sunless albeit generally dry summer. More optimally draining soils dealt better with September rains, although nowhere were these rains welcome.
Could you see the river? If so, a distinct advantage against 2017 frost. Photo from the vineyard of Château Meyney in Saint Estèphe
I did not get to taste three of my favorite Pauillacs (Pichon Baron, Pontet Canet and Grand Puy Lacoste) this time around. I heard that they were all very good, but will catch up later this year, so look for an update.
Meanwhile, it was good to assess the three first growths as well as such celebrated wines as Lynch Bages and Pichon Comtesse, as these two count as top wines from 2017. Although most did not reach the heights of 2016, Pauillac as a whole seems to have performed very well indeed.
Top Pauillacs that I tasted include Lafite* as number one, followed by Latour, Mouton, Pichon Comtesse and Lynch Bages. As said, I missed the tastings for Pontet Canet, Pichon Baron and GPL, but this will be updated. Read More
Saint Julien Elegance
Posted on May 13, 2018
17 vintages of Château Lagrange (and more)
by Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
Not quite the entire line up of Château Lagrange at Black Salt ?
Freshness from Saint Emilion: Bordeaux 2017 from barrel
Posted on May 7, 2018
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
7 May 2018
Given its rather large size, Saint Emilion is heterogeneous in quality. 2017 compounded differences from the challenge to remove grapes from frost-affected vines, of which there were plenty.
Properties with the most financial means did best to remove under ripe second-generation grapes that may have otherwise wound up in the must. It was not so easy to find low cost Saint Emilions that excelled in 2017, but some exist. Thoughts go out to estates that could not produce any wine because of the epic late April frost.
Sunny April 2018 afternoon, overlooking Saint Emilion from Château Clos Fourtet
The beneficial trend away from “big wines” with high alcohol to please certain sugar loving critics in the past (and today) continues. Over-ripe blockbusters are giving way to subtler, more nuanced palates. But 2017 does not lend itself to the former style, and most successful 2017 Saint Emilions please lovers of charm, juiciness and structure. Indeed, obtaining, say, 13 to 14% alcohol wines in 2017 – finely balanced with opulence and freshness – was both possible and welcome this year.
A notable case in point is Château Troplong Mondot, once known for a bombastic style. This year, it counts among my top Saint Emilions and even top Bordeaux, period, in 2017. There are – thankfully – others in that favorable vein.
Seven favorites from Saint Emilion, in alphabetical order and regardless of price
- Angélus
- Ausone
- Belair-Monange
- Canon
- Cheval Blanc
- Larcis Ducasse
- Tertre Roteboeuf
- Troplong Mondot
Seven favorites from Saint Emilion, in alphabetical order that could be bargain buys
- Berliquet
- La Clotte
- Grand Mayne
- Pressac
- Quinault l’Enclos
- Rochebelle
- Sansonnet
Pomerol Plaudits: Bordeaux 2017 from barrel
Posted on May 2, 2018
The small Bordeaux appellation with many 2017 hits
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
2 May 2018
As almost anywhere in Bordeaux, the best terroirs thrived, especially those with either minimal or no frost. Pomerol in spite of its rather small size, is no exception.
As you can see in the photo, Christian Moueix of the Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix wine company, known for crafting excellent Pomerols at various price points, looks happy about 2017, in spite of frost challenges. In his office, he spoke at length about the need for “bougies” (large candles) in late April, to fight against frost in some vineyards, as well as special fans to deter frost.
Indeed, many estates from this rather small but super famous Bordeaux appellation lost many vines to the frost. Château Taillefer lost 60% of its potential harvest. Château Mazeyres? 75%! But even these estates worked to make wines that ranged from pretty good to excellent. From Moueix properties to Château Evangile, for example, which lost 50% of its potential harvest to frost, and yet made one of the top wines of the vintage.
But other estates in Pomerol, such as Beauregard, Vieux Château Certan, La Conseillante and l’Eglise Clinet had little or no concern about the frost. Guillaume Thienpont of Vieux Château Certan said over our tasting: “The only candle I lit was at church.”
Dear reader, the “curse” of recent vintages ending in “7” for Bordeaux ends with 2017, which includes some truly great wines, many in Pomerol, illustrated above.
So, in Pomerol, you can find wines with somewhat hard tannins, and occasionally uninspiring finishes. Some wines seemed just a bit thin on the mid palate, too, but many others reached such heights as to match a truly great vintage.
Indeed, in a vintage known more for moderate alcohol levels, in Pomerol you can find several wines well above 14% – and they are excellent and balanced. Indeed, the best wines from this appellation count among the very best red Bordeaux has to offer from barrel in 2017, period.
And that can be 2017 in a nutshell: a very heterogeneous vintage that needs time to examine. It is in many ways more interesting to assess than, say, 2016, where the wines were more uniformly good to great. Of course 2016 is a superior vintage, overall, but 2017 was more fascinating to discover and includes some wines that can match 2016 quality, if not style. For my general impression of Bordeaux 2017, click this link.
One other note: Not all the successful Pomerols are very expensive, although all the great ones are.
Tasting Notes: Recall, dear reader, that these are but barrel samples and samples can vary! Certainly tasters vary. ?
As usual, if in bold, I liked in particular. If red and bold, even more. When underlined, too, a potential wine nirvana. Read More
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