More than 80 Bordeaux 2016 wines featured in a recent ‘10 Years On’ tasting hosted by international merchant Bordeaux Index in London, attended by producers, critics and journalists.
Classified Left Bank estates, including first growths, were joined by top Right Bank names, from Lafleur, Le Pin, Petrus and Trotanoy to Angélus and Cheval Blanc.
Bordeaux 2016 reds have long been considered a modern benchmark with particularly strong ageing potential, thanks to a combination of high tannin, generous fruit and freshness.
Early promise translated to high scores during en primeur tastings in spring 2017, broadly confirmed in-bottle 18 months later. Some appellations also reported the highest average yields since 2006.
While a full report and tasting notes from the 10 Years On tasting will be published in Decanter magazine’s Bordeaux guide in June, enthusiasm among producers, at least, appeared undimmed.
Omri Ram, winemaker at Château Lafleur, said he considers 2016 ‘one of the greatest vintages ever done in Bordeaux.’
He added, ‘At Lafleur, I think it’s going to be one of the greatest’. He said the wine’s high (yet ‘super fine’) tannin and ‘huge amount of energy’ means it is still young as the 10-year mark approaches.
Bordeaux 2016: From zero to hero?
And yet, Ram explained that Bordeaux 2016 wasn’t always considered destined for greatness. A very wet spring led to mildew pressure and some producers feared the worst, before a mostly hot and dry summer helped to change the picture.
Ram described 2016 as the first of a new type of ‘hybrid’ vintage in Bordeaux, breaking with an established pattern of viewing years as dominated by singular weather traits.
It was a steep learning curve, and hard work. ‘We were confused, but the vines were definitely confused,’ Ram said.
‘They started in comfort [but] by the beginning of summer they switched into this very extreme heat and dry sun. You had these big lazy vines that had to run a marathon until harvest.’
Managing the canopy was key, added Ram, who credited big developments in viticulture in Bordeaux with helping to deliver the vintage.
After harvest, Lafleur team members expected something good but weren’t prepared for what greeted them. ‘The first time we actually understood there was something huge here – like, “wow, great vintage” – was after malolactic [fermentation].’
Bordeaux 2016 today
Some of the top Right Bank names at the 10 Years On tasting. Photo credit: Bordeaux Index.
There was a good deal of enthusiasm for 2016 during the recent 10 Years On tasting, even if some wines remained relatively tight at this stage. Some producers, such as Christian Seely of ‘super’ second growth Château Pichon Baron, also highlighted different interpretations of the vintage.
A 2025 Decanter expert panel tasting found high extraction on some Médoc 2016 reds, although praised overall quality with 11 rated ‘outstanding’.
Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle, last year gave 100 points to Château Latour 2016 after it was released for the first time in March.
While surrounding vintages also offer plenty to enjoy, 2016 carries a certain symbolism. Matthew O’Connell, Co-CEO of Bordeaux Index and the LiveTrade online trading platform, described it as ‘the start of a golden age of winemaking’ in the region.
Châteaux reporting individual landmarks included Margaux-appellation second growth Durfort-Vivens, for which 2016 was the first year of both organic and biodynamic certification.
An uncertain market
Bordeaux has faced a particularly troubled time on the market in recent years. Will 2016 pierce the clouds?
O’Connell said he expected good demand amid a renewed focus on the vintage, and highlighted the wines’ value versus other five-star, peer vintages.
Miles Davis, market expert at merchant Vinum Fine Wines, said in his February market report, ‘We [recently] sold a decent chunk of the very highly regarded Pichon Lalande 2016, in bottles and large formats, and I suspect 2016s will continue to sell well this year.’
Bordeaux Index’s Geraint Carter, who helped provide price analysis on the vintage for Decanter magazine’s Market Watch in the upcoming March issue, added, ‘There’s definitely [buyer] enthusiasm for it.’
