Bordeaux 2016: Vintage Profile
Every time I say those words, Bordeaux 2016, I smile and feel a certain reassurance. This is a vintage that never fails to please whenever a cork is drawn. It reminds me of 2005 in its concentration and structure, though with a more modern elegance. Thanks to advances in extraction and tannin management, the wines are more immediately approachable than their forebears. Yet one must not be misled: the great names of 2016 remain wines for the patient. Open them too soon and the formidable structure will still overshadow the fruit.
Where 2016 truly excels, in my view, is at the modest to mid-tier level, the very stratum where Bordeaux most rewards the discerning drinker, and the level I most enjoy recommending. Here one finds a remarkable combination of consistency, charm, and value. Rarely have I encountered a 2016 priced above £20 that did not deliver delight. Go a notch higher and you’re into some truly memorable wines.
For the vignerons, it was far from an easy season. A hot, dry summer threatened imbalance, but a late Indian summer, tempered by well-timed rains in early September, rescued matters and provided the equilibrium that defines the vintage. Compared with the flamboyant 2015s, 2016 is more structured, more classically shaped, and better suited to Cabernet Sauvignon than to Merlot. The latter, so brilliant in 2015, did not enjoy quite the same success. At the very bottom rung there is some patchiness, but once the two Cabernets dominate, particularly on the Left Bank, the quality is strikingly consistent.
Appellation by appellation, 2016 shows clear strengths. St-Estèphe, Pauillac, and St-Julien produced wines of real distinction, while Margaux also performed admirably, though I marginally prefer the more perfumed, aromatic expression of Margaux in 2015. Pessac-Léognan was equally successful across both vintages, each with its own stylistic nuance. On the Right Bank, Saint-Émilion and Pomerol were generally more appealing in 2015, though 2016 nonetheless offers gems for those willing to seek them out.
In sum: 2016 is a vintage of classical balance, concentration, and endurance, one that provides pleasure now at accessible levels, and promises greatness over the long haul from the finest properties.
Affordable highlights: Château Capbern, Château Labégorce, Château Camensac, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge, Château Marsau
Money no object favourites: Château Brane-Cantenac, Château Pichon-Lalande, Château Latour
