Bordeaux 2014: Best Pauillac 2014 reds

Having the deepest gravel in the Medoc with some chalk and clay, Pauillac also has the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon and so was a strong contender for the best commune in 2014 – especially as the autumn heatwave meant Medoc Cabernet ripened later, giving an advantage over Merlot.

See also: Chateaux hail strong 2014 vintage but market pressure builds

There are many different Pauillacs, but they are all definitely ‘Pauillac’, and in a Bordeaux vintage like 2014 the showing was strong overall. Yet, along with some striking successes, there were still some wines that failed to capture the clarity and class of the vintage.

See also: Pauillac’s pulling power

Perhaps this will show in time, but with a harvest so well suited to the commune I expected more regularity. 2014 was not a year to go for over-extraction and my preferred wines showed elegance over power. The two Pichons were, as usual, totally different in profile, while the second wines from the three first growths showed particularly well.

See more Bordeaux 2014 coverage here

Here are Steven Spurrier’s 10 top scoring Pauillac reds:

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Decanter’s consultant editor Steven Spurrier joined the wine trade in London in 1964 and later moved to Paris where he bought a wine shop in 1971, and then opened L’Academie du Vin, France’s first private wine school in 1973. Spurrier staged the historic 1976 blind tasting between wines from California and France, the Judgment of Paris, and in the 1980s he wrote several wine books and created the Christie’s Wine Course with then senior wine director Michael Broadbent, a veteran Decanter columnist. In 1988 Spurrier returned to the UK to focus on writing and consultancy, with his clients including Singapore Airlines. He has won several awards, including Le Personalité de l’Année (oenology) 1988 for services to French wine and the Maestro Award in honour of California wine legend André Tchelistcheff (2011) and is president of the Circle of Wine Writers as well as founding the Wine Society of India. He also produced his own wine, Bride Valley Brut, from his vines in Dorset.

Bordeaux 2014: Top 10 Pauillac reds

Château Latour, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2014

Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2014

Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2014

Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac, 5ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2014

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac, 5ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2014

Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, 5ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2014

Château Pichon Baron, Pauillac, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2014

Château Latour, Les Forts de Latour, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, 2014

Château Lafite Rothschild, Carruades de Lafite, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, 2014

Château Clerc Milon, Pauillac, 5ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2014