Bordeaux 2011 Primeurs: St Emilion
Knowing just where to start with St Emilion can be something of a challenge. The appellation itself is huge, with thousands of hectares eligible, dwarfing the classic left-bank communes. Hand-in-hand with this we have several distinct terroirs here, giving us a variety of styles of wine; the largest and least exciting are the sandy soils (these alone account for 3200 hectares!), whereas centrally we have the clay and limestone around St Emilion itself. And at the very far western end on the border with Pomerol we also have the gravels which, if appellations were truly based on terroir, would surely be more at home within Pomerol than in St Emilion? On top of this diversity we have a range of varieties, with some wines focused on Cabernet Franc (Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Le Dôme) and some on Merlot (the majority of the estates) and some throwing a distinctive proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon into the mix (Figeac). Then mix in the many and varied schools of winemaking, everything from a light-handed approach in the search for elegance (the Vaulthiers perhaps – Ausone, Fonbel and the like) to long hang-times and over-ambitious extractions (the Perse wines, such as Monbousquet and Pavie-Decesse, are perfect examples in 2011) and we have yet more complexity. Finally, thanks to my longer visit to Bordeaux for this year’s primeurs I have tasted more wines than ever (in St Emilion, and elsewhere), thus adding to the complexity; all in all I tasted close to fifty wines from this appellation, four times the number encountered in some left bank communes. As a result St Emilion demands a detailed and multi-faceted report. So, as I said; where to start?
There is, of course, one obvious approach to dealing with this commune. There is only one purpose in travelling to Bordeaux for the primeurs, and no, I don’t mean schmoozing with wealthy château-proprietors and gorging on foie gras, although I’m sure that is a major attraction for some! My intent when tasting the primeurs is to look for the successes hidden within the year, wines that transcend the difficulties of a trying vintage, or exemplify the potential of the year while hopefully offering value-for-money when the vintage has been much more favourable. I have to say, in this commune, with the 2011 vintage, my task was much more like the former than the latter. Sure, you have to taste all the obvious wines as well – Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Pavie – as to some extent they define the commune and the vintage. But it’s at the lower levels most of us will be drinking. So, before we get to hearing about the A-ranked premier grand cru classé wines and other newsworthy estates, where is the value this year?
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