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FUTURE ZINE
BORDEAUX EN PRIMEUR 2016 SPECIAL REPORT
BORDEAUX 2016
BY REBECCA GIBB MW
FUTURE ZINE | APRIL 2017 19
The weather
January-June
Itrained, a lot,which caused disease;
June-September
Itdidnt rain - at all. Vines went into shutdown and
didnt ripen grapes;
September 13, Left Bank
A storm arrives from the Basque country bringing
rain and plenty of it. Hooray. The vines start to
ripengrapes again;
September 25th Right Bank
It finally rains. About bloody time sighs of relief
all round. The vines start to work again and the
harvest finally takes place when the grapes decide
to ripen inearly to mid-October, making this one of
the latest harvests on record.
EN
PRIMEUR Selling and buying Bordeaux wine before it has been
bottled is far from novel: back in the eighteenth century,
the estate manager at Chateau Latour soldanentire
harvest after fermentation to a single British merchant,
THE OLD
avoiding the costs of storing, racking and bottling. At
particularly tough times in the mid-20th century, grapes
were sold on the vine (sur souche). While that practice
has been consigned to history, the face of en primeur
changed in the 1970s and early 1980s: wine was sold as
futures to the end consumer. But times they are a-
changing: Latour no longer sells its wines en primeur
with others following suit, leading people to reconsider
the role of en primeur in Bordeaux.
THE NEW
Petit Cheval Blanc. Back in 2009 the first bottles of white wine
were made, which the winerys aesthetically pleasing technical
director, Pierre-Olivier Clouet admitted were awful. Its first
releasecomes fromthe 2014 vintage - when they had made
something interesting. Fermented in barrels and left to
mature for 19 months, this Sauvignon Blanc is richly aromatic
and piquant, offering blackcurrant and elderflowers. Its round
and creamy, almost Meursault-like in its texture. Fresh and
zingy on the finish, 4000 bottles have been made and will sell
at around 50 euros per bottle ex cellar.
FUTURE ZINE | APRIL 2017
THE
TOP 100
These wines were all tasted as barrel samples during en primeur week in April 2017.
With almost 30 percent of the wines achieving more than 90 points, the general standard is nothing short of
incredible. There are no 100-point wines here. Ive never had the perfect wine and I truly believe that there will
only be a handful in my lifetime. A 99 or 100-point wine has to truly move me goosebumps, tearsIm not sure a
wine thats still undergoing maturation can achieve that.
A wine that scores 96-98 is truly exceptional, showing incredible character, complexity and longevity. If a wine has
scored between 93 and 95 points it will be a profound wine with complexity and long length. In fact, anything over
90 points is, in my opinion, fantastic.These wines offer real excellence in their category and I wouldnt hesitate to
recommend.
*NB Due to some inconsiderate flight scheduling by KLM, I missed the final tasting on my itinerary in Pauillac. As a
result, I didn't get a chance to taste Pichon Baron, Pontet-Canet and Grand-Puy-Lacoste.
FUTURE ZINE | APRIL 2017
The
You'll find the scores and reviews of the 100 top-scoring wines in the coming pagesranked by
score.There are many more reviews,available free to view on my website: www.rebeccagibb.com
Top
100
Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac
97 Very seductive and supple, caressing the palate yet there's huge power and abundant tannins
that give this a long life ahead. Huge concentration without heaviness. Dark fruits like
blackberry and liquorice. The fine line of acidity makes your mouth water. Superb. Long.
The
Chateau Figeac, St-Emilion
96 Dense and rich on the nose. Rich and mellifluous. The blend is 36% Merlot, 26% Cabernet
Franc, 38% Cab Sauv making a very complete wine. No holes, not too opulent with structured
Top tannin and real acidity drive. Great concentration yet doesn't overdo it in a cordial/syrupy
way. Fresh and balanced. Figeac has done a bloody good job this year.
Petrus, Pomerol
95 Deeply coloured. Round but not too rich. Aromatic, offering purity and freshness - the scent is
reminiscent of fresh plum, black cherry, violets... High level of intensity without heaviness on
the palate. Fine grained tannin - the tannic sinew draws out the wine on the finish. Long,
appetising length.
100
Chateau Trotanoy, Pomerol
93 This is sweet and has an almost coulis-like texture on entry. It is delicate yet expands in the
mouth like a flower blossoming. An abundance of mouthcoating tannins that provide a
structure that's meant for the medium to long term. Rather toasty at the moment but I see that
dissipating with time.
100
Les Forts de Latour, Pauillac
92 Deep, purple, fine blackberry and floral fruit on the front of the palate. A wonderful
abundance of gravelly tannin and pencil lead. Long. Very appetising and ready to drink soon,
or the structure would allowholding for the longer term.
Top 92
Chateau Talbot, St-Julien
Fine, rather delicate Saint-Julien. Good concentration without weight. Focused and precise
100
with structured, mouth-coating tannins and just the right amount of acidity.
Le Pin, Pomerol
91 Round, supple and seamless yet lovely delicacy with freshness. Sweet yet spicy and smoky. A
long, relaxing wine, which is a superb achievement: Merlot vines on gravel soils and a long
period of drought is hardly conducive to such fine wine (or relaxed vignerons).
FUTURE ZINE | APRIL 2017
Top alcohol is 14.5%, you wouldn't know it. Now down to just 35% new barrels, it is far less
extracted and 'made' than it used to be.
100 91
Chateau Gazin, Pomerol
Bright, vibrant aromatic wine. Sweetly fruited, floral, supple and high level of concentration,
offering good density on the palate without being too rich. Mouthcoating tannins that are fine
and stone-licking. Medium length.
100
Chateau Beaumont, Haut-Medoc
90 Great purple colour. Slightly oaky nose but on the palate it's full of purity and fragrance:
violets, blackcurrants, black cherry. Decent intensity of fruit. Masses of fine tannins coat the
mouth, leaving a chocolatey almost sticky finish that makes you want to lick the side of your
cheeks long after you've tasted. Medium to long finish.
The
Chateau Beau Soleil, Pomerol
90 Spicy, herbal. Ripe, black cherry and plums, full and round, seamless almost. Chocolatey
tannins, very sexy and drinkable with nice line on the finish. Is there a tiny bitter hint on the
Top finish?
100
Chateau Mazeyres, Pomerol
90 Very attractive primary fruit nose offering plums and redcurrants. An almost syrupy mid
palate texture , full and round - very much a Merlot dominant wine (73%). Tannins are mouth
coating, round with lingering sweet fruit on the fresh finish. A silken and sexy Pomerol.
Top whole.
100
Chateau Puy-Blanquet, St-Emilion
90 First wine of day two in the Big Brother en primeur household. 90% Merlot; 10% Cab Franc.
Pure, bright and aromatically lifted: lovely violets and blackberry fruit. Delicate on the mid
palate yet round. Fresh and energetic. A modest level of tannins. Medium length reminiscent
of pencil lead. Joyous.
REBECCA
GIBB MW
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