Several Bordeaux 2016 wines have improved even further since en primeur season, and there is particular excitement on the Left Bank where several top Médoc estates have outperformed 2015.
Read in-depth tasting notes and see ratings for hundreds of classified Bordeaux 2016 wines, re-tasted by Jane Anson this month now that the vintage has been bottled and beginning with Médoc.
We begin with classified Médoc wines, including those from the big four appellations of St-Estèphe, Pauillac, St-Julien and Margaux.
Read Jane’s other reports:
First impression after tasting hundreds of Bordeaux 2016 in-bottle wines
You might remember the opening to 2016 vintage report, written by Professor Laurence Geny and Dr Axel Marchal at the Bordeaux institute of wine and vine. It is a study in understatement, opening with, ‘It is always somewhat risky to announce a second great vintage in a row without appearing unduly optimistic’.
And then goes on to throw caution to the wind with, ‘However, 2016 is unquestionably remarkable in Bordeaux, combining quality, quantity, and a very classic style’.
Tasting the 2016s en primeur definitely underlined the reasons for this confidence, but tasting a pre-bottled wine is a tangle of angles, corners and edges.
Especially in large-framed, concentrated years such as 2016, a lot of the work comes in projecting forward, assessing the construction and fruit quality, and trying to not to thrown off track by the wall of tannins and acidity while doing so.
This early days’ assessment becomes fascinating and hugely instructive when tasting the wines after they have been bottled, so a further 18 months after the en primeur round-up.
This is the moment that you really can start to see the whole picture, and to understand if any early issues have been ironed out by extra ageing process.
They will still not be ready to drink, and may need another five or 10 years before really getting into their peak drinking window, but châteaux should none the less expect that some buyers are going to crack into them within the next few years (I’m sure you’ve noticed how many restaurants put young wines on to their lists, even relatively high end Bordeaux, certainly at Cru Bourgeois level).
At the very least, the barrel ageing should mean that stringent tannins have softened a little, and the wine as a whole should have settled down and become more stable (as opposed to the moving target of a barrel sample).
So does 2016 live up to the promise now that we are tasting two years after harvest? Largely, I would say that it does.
Let’s hope the sommeliers are listening, because as a rule these are not wines that you can crack open today. Bearing in mind that I am re-tasting almost entirely the classified growths of the Left and Right banks, it’s not a surprise to say that with the abundance of acidity, fruit and tannin on display, many are going to need several years to open.
It is almost certain that the 2015s will be ready first, and very likely the 2017s also. In that respect, it reflects the difference between 2009 and 2010.
This was also a vintage where winemakers had to be reactive throughout the growing season as conditions changed, and where decisions such as when to leaf thin and how much to extract in the cellar were key. But I can definitely report that this was an enjoyable year to re-taste in bottle, and there are plenty of wines to get excited about.
Bordeaux 2016 weather summary
I’ll keep things brief, because so much has been written on these already.
2016 had some similarities to 2018, at least in the early season – which means rain, and a lot of it.
After a dry 2015, the rain replenished the water levels in the soils, but meant the threat of fungal disease and the risk of poor fruit set in Spring.
From mid summer onwards, however, the weather turned exceptionally dry and hot. August saw temperatures of 5°C higher than average, with 30% more sunshine – excellent for most grapes, but a little tough for young vines, that saw some blockages, plus meant the risk scorching of grapes in properties that had been over-enthusiastic with leaf thinning earlier in the season.
The first 13 days of September were the hottest since 1950, followed by a few days of rain (that went as high as 70mm in Pessac, and around 50mm in the Médoc) that was helpful in kickstarting the Cabernet ripening.
The rest of September and October were dry and sunny, meaning grapes were able to ripen under warm skies and cool nights, which meant thick skins, deep colours, high aromatics and fresh acidities.
And the long slow end of season meant alcohols stayed relatively low compared to years like 2015 and 2009, so many wines didn’t fit the profile of a traditional blockbuster vintage, and answer better to the description of ‘classic’, but at the highest end of that word.
Value to be had if you know where to look
By and large, where 2015 was a Right Bank vintage, 2016 is a Left Bank one.
There are exceptions, particularly Pomerol, where I found some brilliant wines (much as Margaux was a clear exception in 2015). You’ll be able to see all of my Pomerol notes and scores on these pages next week.
I am re-tasting the Pessac-Léognans in December, so will be able to complete the picture then, but so far the highest concentration of great wines have been in Pauillac, St-Julien and St Estèphe, with Pomerol close behind.
Many of these are of course premium in terms of price also, but there are values to be found throughout the Médoc and I tasted a number of good Cru Bourgeois that are worth seeking out.
Left Bank review
Strap yourself in for some serious architectural wines here, with depth, weight, and vertical assault – proof that Cabernet Sauvignon can do concentration and power without sacrificing freshness.
There are some high percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon in many of the top wines, reflecting its success in a long, slow ripening season. So you’ll find 85% at Pichon Baron, Ducru Beaucaillou and Batailley, 92% at Lafite, and a full 94% at Margaux.
Petit Verdot also did well with the long ripening season in 2016, and you increasingly see it as the ‘third grape of choice’ in the Médoc over Cabernet Franc.
You’re going to find most wines up in the northern Médoc appellations are better constructed and deliver more intensity of flavour in 2016 than they did in 2015.
Margaux has taken on depth and power over the ageing process, but I still find that the 2015s are a more enjoyable overall package, because they deliver such juicy, joyful fruit character.
The hot summer sunshine meant that levels of green pepper pyrazine are almost non-existent, with acidity levels that give excellent balance.
I tasted a limited number of second wines, but they suggested that the quality found at this level has lived up to its initial promise; a clear sign that 2016 is better and more consistent than, for example, the 2014s, where they were many great first wines but far less successful second wines.
Alcohols as a rule were a full percentage point lower in 2016 than 2015, but it should be remembered that sugar – and therefore potential alcohol – was also way higher in 2015 than in 2009 and 2010.
Very few headed over 14% abv. I see only Pontet Canet in the Médoc that has gone over that level, and the vast majority come in at between 13.5% and 14%.
There are big tannins, with IPTs of 80, even 90 or higher, and those rich, deep anthocyanes that give such gorgeous colours. Definitely a year for lovers of classic, long-ageing Médocs.
This is a great year for the appellation, and reflects its increasing confidence over recent vintages. It was helped by great weather conditions. St-Estèphe saw 30mm of rain on 13th September and 13mm on 8th October, with nothing in between, allowing the clay, limestone and gravel soils to fully ripen the grapes.
The more varied terroir in St-Estèphe (with higher levels of clay and limestone than Pauillac and St-Julien) also withstood the summer heat better than some gravels, meaning less blockages in ripening. I found the power and structure of en primeur had held up brilliantly, and these are wines that you are going to love drinking. Plump black fruits, walls of tannins to scale, closed down right now, smoky oak and liquorice flavours.
Châteaux to watch: Phélan Ségur, Montose, Cos d’Estournel, Calon Ségur
Tasting at Mouton Rothschild, MD Philippe Dhalluin said he found 2016 to be ‘truly the modern expression of 1986’.
Hard to disagree – and part of what that means is that it is a stunning vintage, but it will take its time to reach its peak. These are big wines, well constructed, lots to look forward to, with chewy tannins, rich and thick in texture.
Take your time with these, they are likely to remain extremely tight for the foreseeable future.
Latour is not retasting its in-bottle wine until January, but the other two First Growths in the appellation are stunning and got my highest points (Mouton moved up from en primeur), closely followed by Pichon Comtesse (also up by one point).
Châteaux to watch: Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, Pichon Comtesse
Not sure I remember St-Julien being as consistent as this – all were given Highly Recommended or Exceptional in terms of their scores, with one or two moving upwards from en primeur.
All pretty much closed up for business right now of course, but with a construction and architecture that feels very much like 2010. Gorgeous fruit densities on display, and some that were truly exceptional. I gave the full 100 points to Léoville Las Cases, which was every bit as ‘grab a friend and tell them to drink this’ as it had been en primeur.
Châteaux to watch: Léoville Las Cases, Ducru Beaucaillou, Léoville Poyferré, St Pierre
The impression formed during en primeur that the vintage was pipped by the 2015 in terms of quality was still true, but largely because the 2015 was so exceptional. There was a little more rain in the southern than northern Médoc certainly, but in the main, these wines had deepened over the ageing process, and there are some excellent bottles to be found.
If prices of your favourite are similar to 2015 however, I would still suggest you should probably go with the earlier vintage.
Châteaux to watch: Lascombes, Prieuré Lichine, Cantenac Brown (up from en primeur), Brane Cantenac.
Médoc / Haut-Médoc
I tasted around 30 Médoc and Haut-Médocs, so not really enough to get a full impression, but there are some issues with the tannins being overly tight and impenetrable and acidity knocking the fruit off balance. But these were the exceptions, and I would again feel very happy to say this is a great vintage for many wines at this level, with potential for good ageing, and some captivating wines.
Châteaux to watch: Potensac, Belle-Vue, La Tour Carnet
Top scoring Bordeaux 2016 wines from Médoc
Click on the wines to see the full in-bottle tasting note plus original en primeur rating.
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