Bordeaux 2016: 30 top-scoring and best-value wines

The Institute of the Masters of Wine (IMW) held its annual Bordeaux tasting at Vintners’ Hall on Wednesday 1st December. The focus this year was the great 2016 vintage, although the normal timetable of events had been drastically altered by the pandemic.

The IMW historically looks at around 100 wines four years after the vintage, ranging from leading red Bordeaux through dry-white wines and a selection of Sauternes/Barsac.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top 30 recently-tasted Bordeaux 2016 wines 

The 2016 tasting had been due to take place in November 2020 but was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, despite the 1,000+ wines for the tasting already having been delivered.

As a result, the tasting was a year out of kilter, with the Institute planning to catch-up by holding the 2017 vintage tasting in March 2022 and the 2018 vintage next November. The IMW also runs a slightly scaled-back version of the tasting in the US and Australia – dates currently TBC.

Samples were organised through Le Conseil des Grand Crus Classés en 1855, whilst Dourthe in Bordeaux assisted with the logistics.

The 103 wines at the tasting ranged across the Cru Classés, together with St-Emilion, Pomerol, dry white and sweet wines.

First-growths were well represented, although Château Lafite-Rothschild was not available this year. Yquem was included, together with Cheval Blanc and Angélus, but there are still some noteworthy absentees – Pavie, Ausone, Vieux Château Certan, Pape Clément, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville Poyferré and Palmer.

The main focus of the tasting – the extremely highly rated 2016 vintage – is yet another contender (along with 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2015) for the ‘vintage of the century’ award.

Many would say that 2016 has clawed its way to the top of this illustrious list as it delivers pretty much everything one could want in top-quality Bordeaux red wines.

Vintage comparisons

2005 remains a sturdy, tannic vintage with many wines yet to deliver on early promise, whilst 2009 is almost the polar opposite – full of joyous, ripe, fleshy fruit.

2010 is a monumental vintage which I preferred to 2009 when young but am less sure about that judgement today.

2015 was undoubtedly another very fine vintage with many right bank wines getting everything right – Canon, Figeac, Pavie and Cheval Blanc were all anointed with 100 points.

However, 2016 seems to be a combination of not only all of these top-quality vintages but also brings with it a freshness and elegance that has been missing from certain Bordeaux wines in the past 10-15 years.

100 points have been given to a range of 2016’s – Figeac and Pavie (again), Vieux Château Certan, Pichon Lalande, Leoville-Las Cases and Lafite- and Mouton-Rothschild. However, it appears that the number of 95+ wines is greater in 2016 than the preceding year.

2016 vintage conditions

Wine producers in Bordeaux had a very different result to those in Burgundy in 2016.

The winter was mild and wet, with water reserves replenished. In April, Bordeaux encountered cloudy skies and this saved the vineyards from the ravages of frost which decimated Burgundy and the Loire on 29 April. A small window of fine weather in June encouraged rapid and successful flowering, before cold and wet weather returned. July and August were hot and dry, with this continuing into early-September. Rain fell on 13 September, giving the vines much needed water. Merlot was picked from the end of September, whilst Cabernet Sauvignon was picked up until the third week of October.

The right-bank performed well, particularly those vineyards on water-retaining clay soils. However, it seems that the more northern parts of the Haut-Médoc are consistently strong. Pauillac, St-Julien and St-Estèphe are all home to some truly great wines. These are wines with classic left-bank characters of intense blackcurrant fruit, matched with fine tannins, freshening acidity and distinctive mineral, lead-pencil notes. All this has been achieved with alcohol levels under control.

Wine enthusiasts can buy from across the board in 2016 and are unlikely to be disappointed. Unfortunately, the vintage’s reputation has driven the highest-scoring wines to even more lofty prices. And, although the consistent quality of 2016 was clearly apparent at the IMW tasting, it did seem as though a number of wines were in a ‘closed’ and ‘tight’ phase of development. This will be a passing phase and I expect that some of my scores will be revised upwards over the next 3-4 years.

Many of these wines, carefully stored, will drink fantastically for 20, 30 or 40 years.

Ten Bordeaux 2016 value picks

94 points

Château Saint-Pierre, St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé)

93 points

Château Prieuré-Lichine, Pauillac (4ème Cru Classé)

92 points

Château Couhins-Lurton, Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)

Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc (5ème Cru Classé)

Château Boyd-Cantenac, Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)

Château Grand-Puy Ducasse, Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)

Château Nénin, Pomerol

Château de Myrat, Sauternes, 2ème Cru Classé

Château Corbin, St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé)

91 points

Château La Croix du Casse, Pomerol

See Andy Howard MW’s tasting notes and scores for 30 top-scoring and best-value Bordeaux 2016 wines

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